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Mumbai Trans Harbour Link update: Japanese team to visit Mumbai for talks

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A team from the Japanese International Co-operation Agency (JICA) will visit Mumbai later this month for rounds of discussion to fund the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project valued at Rs11,000 crore. The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) may bear part of the project cost.

Speaking about the status of MTHL, a sea bridge that will connect Sewri on the eastern fringes of Mumbai and Nhava Sheva in Navi Mumbai, UPS Madan, commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), said, "A team of JICA officials will be coming to Mumbai later this month to discuss the MTHL project."

He added that the discussions will continue for the next few months as there will be several technical and financial issues that will be discussed apart from the Japanese team reviewing the project design and feasibility.

The loan agreement to fund MTHL project up to 70-80% will, however, be signed only by early 2015.

Last week, the Union minister of economic affairs had held a meeting to pave way for JICA to give loan for the 22-km-long sea link.

Additionally, in what can be good news as well as an impetus for the project to move ahead from the drawing boards is that JNPT has shown some signs of willingness to partly fund the project.

Madan confirmed that there has been an indication from JNPT to participate financially, however, it is too early to say how much will come from the coffers of the port trust based in Navi Mumbai.

Last August, MMRDA had not received a single bid for the project on the basis of the public-private partnership model. There were five consortiums in the fray for the project then, one of them had withdrawn their proposal. Therefore, it was later decided to erect the bridge on Engineering, Procurement and Construction route after getting the project loan amount from JICA.

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