Two years after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) shelved the Chirner-Virar section of the Alibaug to Virar multimodal corridor, the agency has floated bids for a project report for the section.
Two years after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) shelved the Chirner-Virar section of the Alibaug to Virar multimodal corridor, the agency has floated bids for a project report for the section.
A report for the entire 126km project was prepared in 2011, but MMRDA decided to put the Chirner-Virar section on hold on account of feasibility issues.
The proposed corridor, part of the comprehensive transport strategy for the region, would connect various highways, cut the travel time between the two points by half, while opening up growth opportunities for growth in towns like Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dobivali, Panvel, Taloja and Uran.
The corridor is also expected to benefit movement of freight from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, which is a short distance from Chirner, and the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
Progress on the project has been slow on account of land acquisition issues and the new policy on land acquisition could push up the cost so high, it could derail the plan. It is estimated that nearly 20,000 hectares would have to be acquired, most of it farm plots.
An MMRDA official said on Thursday that a study would be undertaken on the Chirner-Virar section, which is about 79 km long. The report could influence a decision on whether the entire project should be taken up or not.
As per the initial proposal, the section from Navghar (in Virar) to Chirner was estimated to cost Rs9,326 crore and was to be undertaken on a public-private partnership basis. The Chirner-Alibaug stretch, 47 km long, would cost Rs3,649 crore. But it was felt that the partnership model would not be possible for this part of the project and another financial model would have to be worked out.
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