[sustran] Mumbai Govt realizes Sea Link straining its kitty

[Faizan Jawed]

 Is Bandra-Worli sea link forcing MSRDC to opt for cheaper option?
Published: Sunday, Mar 13, 2011, 23:09 IST
By *Ninad Siddhaye* | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

Built at an exorbitant Rs1,634 crore, the 4.7-km Bandra-Worli sea link is
turning out to be a white elephant. With the average daily vehicle count not
even reaching 50% of its original estimates, the state government may have
to seriously re-examine its plan to extend the sealink further.

This is perhaps why officials in the Maharashtra State Road Development
Corporation (MSRDC) — the agency that owns the sea link — are now focusing
on constructing a coastal road ahead of Worli, instead of extending the
sealink as originally planned, say sources in the corporation.

The corporation has suffered a heavy loss by constructing the first phase of
the sea link, said the sources. Opened partially in August 2009 and fully in
March 2010, the sea link had a little more than 1.5 crore vehicles plying on
it between August 2009 and February 2011, according to database accessed by
DNA. This is less than half of the original estimated traffic.

A senior state government official agreed that the Bandra-Worli sea link has
turned out to be a dearer option for the government.
“However, in the past the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) restrictions
prevented us from thinking of a coastal road. Technical analysis in past
surveys has always favoured a coastal road instead of a sea link,” said the
official.

As per the plans, the corporation has now decided to construct a combination
of coastal road on embankment as well as on stilts as well as a tunnel,
taking the route all the way up to Wilson College on Marine Drive.

Explaining the concept, MSRDC vice chairman and managing director, Bipin
Shrimali, said the corporation had already submitted a detailed plan to the
Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) about the coastal road
plan.

“The present sea-link ends at the Worli sea face. We intend to construct a
coastal road on an embankment (by way of reclamation) taking 65m to 70m of
the present promenade up to Samudra Mahal building near the Rajni Patel
Chowk. From there, we intend to construct a coastal road on stilts up to
Mahalaxmi temple which will be on the western side (sea side) of the Haji
Ali dargah,” said Shrimali.

The corporation has two options once the coastal road reaches Mahalaxmi. “We
can directly construct a tunnel up to Wilson College, which is the first
option. The second option will be to continue a coastal road on stilts up to
Priyadarshani Park and from there construct a tunnel up to Wilson College.
In any case, this will be a reality only if MCZMA gives us a nod. However,
we will construct the same within next 39 months,” claimed Shrimali.

When asked whether the new Coastal Zone Regulation (CRZ) allows a coastal
road on an embankment, Shrimali indicated that it may get a nod from the
state as well as Centre.

*A white elephant? *
When the sea link was under construction, the estimated daily vehicle count
on it was close to 50,000. However, in reality, the sea link sees an average
vehicle count of only 50% of the estimated figure.


http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_is-bandra-worli-sea-link-forcing-msrdc-to-opt-for-cheaper-option_1519598