BMC plans to put dry utility cables under one duct

The rollercoaster rides on trench-laden roads might soon cease.

Roads in Borivli, Santa Cruz, Chembur, Ghatkopar with several other stretches will now be immune to trenches. In the wake of roads being excavated repeatedly to lay down underground utilities, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to accommodate all dry utilities under one duct. These utilities include gas pipelines, telecom and electricity lines.

The plan will be tested on eight roads where 20x20 foot ducts have been constructed. These include Lala Lajpat Rai Road in Mahalaxmi, Hans Burga Road in Santa Cruz, Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road, Borivli Link Road, Borsapada Road in Borivli, Anik Wadala Link Road, and VN Purav Marg in Chembur. Similar ducts will be constructed on three additional roads in which the underground utilities cable will be channelised.

“It is a huge capital intensive task. We will gauge responses in these roads and only then it will be implemented across the city. Several issues like the duct’s design and the space available below the road need to be monitored,” said a senior civic official.

“In the eight roads where the ducts are in place, the civic body did not get approval from the utilities company but we will launch a phase-wise scheme and will expand it thereafter,” he added.

The plan will be implemented on the recommendation of Standing Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), a state-appointed expert committee on roads. The task will cost the civic body Rs2.5 crore per km. Hence, to place the all utilities under one duct across the city, the BMC will need around Rs5,000 crore.

Initially, the move drew criticism from the utilities company. Apprehensions pertaining to accommodating gas pipelines and electricity lines were put forth. But after several rounds of meetings with the companies, the plan will flag off before June 2011.

The STAC has also recommended an incentive scheme for companies who opt for ducts. “BMC might bear the cost of reinstatement of utilities now. Once we achieve success on the selected roads, we might ask these companies to pay a reasonable rent for using the ducts,” said NV Merani, STAC chairman.

BMC is contemplating creating an entire department to supervise underground utilities.

“Either a separate department will be carved out to monitor ducts or a company will be asked to deal with the task on design-build-operate-transfer basis,” the civic official said.