26.2.10

Crucial Maharashtra infrastructure projects get the green signal

The cabinet infrastructure sub-committee headed by chief minister Ashok Chavan on Thursday cleared the Rs 5,000-crore Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link and approved the design for the Rs 6,000-crore Haji Ali-Nariman Point Link as well as the Rs 900-crore 12-laned Sion-Panvel Expressway. Senior officials said that the Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link project was awarded to the Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium with conditional approval. Acting managing director of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Sonia Sethi said they would be issuing a letter of acceptance to the consortium which was the front runner for the project. The committee also took a decision to redevelop the Government Colony in Bandra (East) and gave its nod for the Rs 900-crore Talegaon-Chakan-Shirpur-Chakula Expressway. “The Worli-Haji Ali sea link project has been hanging fire for the last eight months awaiting clearance from the state cabinet.After the Bandra-Worli Sea Link was inaugurated last July, the Worli-Haji Ali section of the sealink was expected to take off immediately. However it got delayed,” an officer said “According to the current design, the link will be above the sea from Haji Ali to Priyadarshini Park. From there it will continue as an underground tunnel till Malabar Hill,’’ an official said. There were a number of companies who bought the bid documents for the 4.5-km long link but in the end only two large groups remained in the fray: Reliance Infrastructure-Hyundai and Hindustan Construction Company(HCC) along with John Laing and Samsung. When the tenders were opened on February 4, 2009, the RInfra led consortium was the preferred bidder as its quote for the viability gap funding was the lowest at Rs 1,392 crore. “While NCP ministers have accused the chief minister of delaying the decisions to implement important projects, the clearance of these projects at one shot has put Chavan in the clear and quitened his critics,” a Congress minister said.
The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority has finally given its consent for the Pedder Road flyover. It took 15 years for the approval to be given to the 4.4 km four-lane flyover. The proposal was approved by the MCZMA and will now be forwarded to the Centre for its consent. A decision to this effect was taken at a MCZMA meeting held in Mantralaya on Thursday. “The flyover’s ramp will be built on CRZ-2 (Wilson College) and not CRZ-1 (Chowpatty). MSRDC will have to use hi-tech methods to control and monitor air as well as noise pollution. They will display air and noise pollution levels on the bridge,’’ said state environment secretary Valsa Nair Singh. The proposal, estimated at around Rs 300 crore, to build a flyover between Haji Ali (Lala Lajpat Rai College) and Nana Nani Park (near Wilson College) will not encroach on a portion of Girgaum Chowpatty and will be built over Marine Drive. Earlier, the state government had held a hearing for the Pedder Road residents who had opposed the flyover because of pollution concerns. The BMC has resolved to acquire around 38 properties to add another small lane to the Pedder Road flyover. The flyover will start at Lala Lajpat Rai College and will pass via Haji Ali square, Cadbury Junction, Kemps Corner, Babulnath Temple, and Tambe Chowk to finally end at Nana Nani park near Wilson College. MSRDC minister J Kshirsagar said that the design of the Marine Drive ramp will ensure that the speed of vehicular traffic is reduced to 10-15 km/hr from a speed of 40 km/hr.

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