Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ dream project, the ‘Mumbai Coastal Road’, has been approved by the Yashwant Jadhav-led standing committee. The project’s distinctive feature is that it will be a signal-less route and will not consist of any toll plazas which will lead to a well-maintained road.
As the project was passed, several parties raised suspicions about it and in response, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ajoy Mehta clarified the increased cost and gave the details of the project.
The total length of the proposed coastal road constructed by BMC is 9.98 km and with connections to other roads, the total length will be around 24 km. The route will also consist of two tunnels and in case of an accident, an alternative road will be constructed from one tunnel to the other.
The project will consist of an eight-lane road with four lanes on each side. Similarly, one lane on each side will have a lane reserved for ambulances and buses. The road will have four interconnections which will be as long as 14.02 km and accordingly, a cycle track adjacent to the road, a public garden and 20-meter-wide coastal pathways (promenades), jogging tracks, the open auditorium has been proposed further.
Also Read: Three Advisors Costing ₹225 Crore Appointed For Coastal Road Construction
Under this project, three parking lots with a capacity of around 1,625 vehicles each will be set up and will be built at Amarsons, Haji Ali and Worli. Alongside, the proposed project will connect the 'Shyamaldas Gandhi Flyover' (Princess Street Flyover) at Charni Road and the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Setu (Bandra Worli Sea Link) at Worli.
However, the commissioner explained the increase in the cost of construction stating that in August 2017, the cost was estimated at around ₹4,816 crore. However, after the expansion of the project, the project’s estimated cost reached ₹6,852 crore. Later, when the tender quotation for the project was asked for in February 2018, the cost of the project reached ₹7864 due to the increasing prices of steel and petroleum. Eventually, the cost of the project was increased to ₹8,679 crore in regard to the applicants’ response and at last, with an addition of taxes, the cost closed at around ₹12,000 crore.
Currently, the project’s estimated cost is said to be around ₹12,721 crore and eventually consists of ₹4,302 crores of taxes. The commissioner further clarified that majority of taxes will remain with the municipal corporation and the cost of the taxes, i.e. ₹4,302 crores will be deducted from the total amount.
The remaining ₹8,419 crores consists of a 20 per cent government tax and so, BMC will also deduct the amount from the total amount of cost. Alongside, the amount of rent recovered by the municipal corporation from its octroi plaza sums up to ₹270 crores along with the₹254 crore from the contractors as interest on the loan advance paid by them. So, with the deduction of these, the project will have an estimated cost of around ₹6,195 crore.
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