Hindustan Times 03.02.2010
State plans new cities on Virar-Alibaug corridorIn the next five years, Taloja won’t be just a blip as you drive out of Mumbai.
The state’s Urban Development Department’s (UDD) plans to develop new cities along the proposed Virar-Alibaug multi-modal transit corridor to accommodate an increasing urban population over the next few years.
In its Vision Document, UDD has anticipated that by 2014, 50 per cent of the state’s population will be urban and centered around 11 cities. The document says that future policies “will be geared to cope with rapid urbanisation and check haphazard growth on the fringes of the cities.”
The UDD has proposed the development of towns such as Taloja, 35 km from Mumbai, Uran and the power loom centre of Bhiwandi along the Virar-Alibaug multi-modal transit corridor that is projected to be completed by 2014.
“We expect this corridor to be complete by 2014. The towns along this corridor will be in high demand and develop into satellite townships,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity as the plan is yet to be announced.
