BMC-MMRDA officials meet on underground metro

A 'kick start' meeting that took place on Thursday between officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will ensure that the Colaba–Bandra–SEEPZ underground metro rail project gets support of civic officials during its construction phase.

"During the construction phase, several utilities would have to be shifted, and as 27 metro stations have to come up in eight civic wards, some land too would have to be acquired, either on a temporary or permanent basis," said UPS Madan, the metropolitan commissioner.

At the meeting, BMC commissioner Sitaram Kunte asked his staff to start a dialogue with MMRDA officials. Madan said that if the need arose, another meeting at the senior level would be held after a month's time.

"There were officials from various civic wards, through which the underground metro would pass, at the meeting. The civic chief wanted to sensitize all of us to the project," said an official.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had, on Wednesday, announced that the bhoomipujan for the 33.5 km-long rail would be performed soon. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 23,136 crore. Part of the fund will come from the Japanese International Co-operation Agency as loan.