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Top Mumbai projects still on paper. Blame it on coalition politics

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Big-ticket projects aimed at ensuring seamless travel for Mumbaikars are stuck in limbo, thanks to the maze of coalition politics and bureaucratic red tape.

Projects such as the extension of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link (BWSL) to Haji Ali and Versova, capacity augmentation of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and passenger water transport on the eastern and western coast are yet to see the light of day despite being announced with great fanfare.

Sources said the Congress-NCP coalition politics is putting these Mumbai makeover projects on the back burner. “The MSRDC board has cleared the proposals; the delay is from the government’s end,” an MSRDC official told dna.

“The cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure has not met to discuss the future of these projects.”

The committee last met in 2012. A senior NCP leader pointed out that the MSRDC, a portfolio which was with the party’s Jaydutt Kshirsagar, was being ignored in coalition politics. “CM Prithviraj Chavan has not yet convened the meeting,” he complained. NCP MLA Nawab Malik said: “The meeting should be held as early as possible for the betterment of the city and state.”

The extension of the sea link from Bandra to Versova has been approved by the MSRDC. It is also mooting to scrap its concession agreement with Reliance Infrastructure and Hyundai consortium to execute the Rs4,550 crore Worli-Haji Ali sea link project. The MSRDC wants it constructed after floating bonds for the same.

The MSRDC plans to augment the Expressway’s capacity from six to eight lanes and construct tunnels between Khopoli and Sinhagad institute at a cost of Rs3,600 crore (apart from debt servicing).

“The government has no desire to ensure the development of Mumbai or Maharashtra... it does it have the guts or the vision,” said BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, accusing Chavan of being indecisive.

Work orders for the water transport projects on the eastern (Rs440.47 crore) and western coast (Rs915.3 crore) are pending as the committee has yet to give its green signal. The four-laning of the 700km Nagpur-Aurangabad-Sinnar-Ghoti-Mumbai road and the second phase of the Bhiwandi-Kalyan-Shil Phata project too are awaiting the committee’s nod.

Stuck in limbo
Worli-Haji Ali sea link; Bandra- Versova sea link.

Capacity augmentation of Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

Passenger water transport on eastern and western coast.

Four laning of Nagpur- Aurangabad- Sinnar- Ghoti-Mumbai road.

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