Ever since the projects were brought under the MUTP 3A, their implementation got delayed, say railway officials
If you are among the 10 lakh commuters on the Harbour line who are eagerly waiting for the CSMT-Panvel elevated high-speed corridor and Panvel-Virar suburban corridor to cut down your commute time, be prepared to be disappointed. The two mega multi-crore projects have been delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles.
Ever since the projects were brought under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP) 3A — an umbrella project — earlier this February, their implementation got delayed. The only way to expedite these projects is getting Maharashtra government's approval for MUTP 3A by this month.
Preliminary work on both these suburban rail projects could have started by now as the rail authorities, who after getting a nod from the Railway Board, were prepared to float tenders. “Both these projects were with the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) for approval. Once approved, the Railways would have kick-off implementation of the project immediately. However, its last moment inclusion to MUTP 3A has now taken it back to square one,” said a Railway official on condition of anonymity.
As per the procedure, once the state government gives a nod for a project, it goes to the Railway Board followed by NITI Aayog and CCEA at the end. “Commuters on the Harbour line keep complaining about the step-motherly treatment they receive. The Railway Ministry should take the work seriously and implement the projects on time,” said Subhash Gupta, president, Mumbai Rail Yatri Sangh.
As of now, both these rail lines will be reviewed from scratch. Sources said that with such huge chunk of funds required, chances are there that all the projects might not even get implemented immediately.
Initially, there was a proposal to divide the projects on the basis of its type, the first would be solely on infrastructure upgradation through additional rail lines and second would be the procurement of coaches among other things.
“MUTP 3A is awaiting approval from the state government, which we hope to receive this month. Once sanctioned, we will send it to the Railway Board, followed by NITI Aayog and CCEA,” said an official from Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation that is implementing MUTP 3A. The procedure may take another 6-8 months.
This will be followed by a call for tenders. Implementation will depend on the importance of the projects. Though the Railways have not set any deadline for the project, officials expect the project to be ready in 5-7 years if all permissions are in and land is acquired.
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