The Maharashtra Maritime Board Board, which met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, gave its nod for a feasibility study for the west coast water transport project
The already-delayed plans for water transport between Nariman Point and Borivli may have hit another road-block over doubts about its viability and rate of return.
The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) Board, which met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, gave its nod for a feasibility study for the west coast water transport project. The proposal is to connect South Mumbai to the western suburbs and areas further north by sea.
Senior state government officials said factors like rough seas on the western seaboard which make it difficult for vessels to operate for almost six months in a year, the proposed coastal road between South Mumbai and Kandivali, and the likely low rate of return had led to the current apprehensions.
"Investing public money in such a project does not really make any sense," added the senior official.
Earlier, the MMB had floated Expressions of Interest (EoI) for developing passenger ferry services between NCPA at Nariman Point and Borivli with plans for stoppages at locations like Bandra, Versova, Marve, Juhu in the subsequent phase.
"It was decided that a feasibility study for the Nariman Point-Borivli water transport route on the west coast be conducted and the project be executed if feasible," a senior MMB official told DNA.
"The sea link has been constructed from Worli to Bandra and there are plans to extend it further to Versova. We may have to operate a point-to-point service from Nariman Point to Borivli," he said, adding that this the reason they will examine the feasibility. The study is expected to take at least three months.
The official said one will be able to cover the distance between Gateway of India and Borivli in around 50 minutes by sea. "The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) granted consents in 2011. The permission of the heritage committee is necessary... but will need an in-principle nod from the state government before we proceed further," he added.
The MMB official said once the jetty at NCPA is constructed, it can be used for passenger ferry services to tourist spots like Elephanta Island, sea plane operations and pleasure boating. He pointed out that ferry services at Gateway of India did not operate round-the-year.
...& ANALYSIS
- Conceived almost a decade ago, the project has been overtaken by subsequent infrastructure addition plans. The water transport sector in Mumbai and Maharashtra remains under-utilised, and these second thoughts on the west coast project will mean that things may remain so, for years to come.
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