Some of the major infrastructure projects across Maharashtra have been impacted as a result of the coronavirus lockdowns last year.
Among the affected projects include the expansion of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, the Metro network, Samruddhi Mahamarg, Versova Bandra Sealink, among others.
With COVID-19 cases seeing a rise as of recently, state agencies are concerned about facing a scarcity of workers yet again.
Officials have said that they were facing a scarcity of workers last year due to the mass migration that occurred at the height of the pandemic.
This, in turn, has impacted the project completion timeline as well. It is said that deadlines for most projects have been extended by anywhere between six months to a year.
Additionally, training the required staff for ongoing projects also proved to be a hurdle. For example, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) faced trouble getting clearances for Chinese engineers to arrive in India and assemble the Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) for the Coastal Road Project.
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Similarly, the pandemic has also affected the completion of several metro lines in the city.
However, one positive aspect out of the pandemic is that agencies relied more on indigenous sources for manufacturing and raw materials, thus reducing dependency on foreign companies.
This also aligns with the Central Government’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission to encourage Indian manufacturers and startups.
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