The tale of two sea-bridges

Comparing the way mega infrastructure projects get implemented in India and China is uncharitable. Many would quickly cite the unavoidable delays in a transparent, democratic set-up vis-à-vis the Chinese not-so-democratic model. Still, I can’t stop myself comparing the two projects that once implemented would bring in untold benefits to millions of people.

I remember writing an article as a cub reporter nearly 25 years ago in a prominent Mumbai daily on the then proposed Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), a 21.8km road-bridge, longest in India, connecting the bustling island city of Bombay (Mumbai, now) with New Bombay (Navi Mumbai, now). Thousands of flamingos that flocked the mudflats in Sewri-Mahul every winter created the biggest hurdle for the project. Green activists raised a red-flag as the bridge passed through many ecologically sensitive areas. The pink-feathered birds came from as far away as Siberia ensured the project remained on the drawing board.

Many years later, Mumbai-based infrastructure lender IL&FS submitted a proposal in 2004 to take up the project on build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) basis. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) also submitted a counter proposal. But these proposals died a natural death inhaling the most obnoxious sarkari dust.

A year later, MSRDC tried to revive it again and went ahead and invited bids in 2005. Two bids submitted by Anil Ambani (Reliance Energy with Hyundai Engineering, quoting a concession period of nine years and 11 months) and Mukesh Ambani’s Sea King Infrastructure (a concession period of 75 years) were both turned down. While MSRDC was unsure about the viability of the low concession period quoted by REL-Hyundai, it found Sea King’s concession period unrealistic.

A political slugfest between two infrastructure agencies, the MSRDC and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), led by two warring coalition partners -- the NCP and Congress, ensured the sealink remained a dream for the city that has been bursting at the seams for many years.

The MTHL project, which came to symbolise India’s poor infrastructure planning and implementation, is finally looking to take shape. The total cost has shot up manifold to Rs 17,800 crore from Rs4,000 crore in 2005.Just two months ago, the MMRDA awarded contracts to various bidders with a target of completing it in five years. While the consortium of L&T-IHI of Japan will construct Sewri side of the sea-bridge, Daewoo-TPL joint venture got the Navi Mumbai side of the sea-bridge, and L&T, the bridge portion on the land.

That’s about the India project.

As you fly into the Hong Kong International Airport, you can see from a distance the new Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB). The $16 billion, 55-km sea-bridge, construction of which began on December 15, 2009, is all set to open for commercial operations in a few months. With a massive bridge, a long undersea tunnel and a man-made island, it is nothing short of a marvel. The 29-km bridge section would make it one of the world's longest, and a huge tourist attraction. As the sea-bridge spans over the areas under the governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR), Guangdong province and Macau SAR, they are in the process of formulating policies for cross-border traffic.

A white paper on the delay of MTHL will tell us how we goofed up in every step of the project implementation. Nothing wrong if India can pick up some project implementation lessons from China.

The writer is editor, DNA Money. He tweets @AntoJoseph