The Indian Express 27.08.2012
Monorail project in for more delay as BMC yet to give land clearances
Even as the city’s development authority hopes to complete the
already delayed Wadala-Jacob Circle Monorail corridor by the end of next
year, it is yet to secure space to set up the supporting
infrastructure, such as sub-stations, staircases and fire-fighting
rooms.
The plots identified by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Development Authority (MMRDA) to set up this infrastructure belong to
the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
The MMRDA has been sending repeated requests to the civic body to
allow it to undertake construction on the land, but the BMC is yet to
respond with a definite answer.
“We are expecting a positive reply from the BMC. We don’t need to
acquire any part of the land. We only need permission to use some of
the land to set up sub-stations,” said PRK Murthy, head of transport and
communications, MMRDA.
“If we don’t get hold of this land, we will have to redesign
certain portions of the corridor. That will be time-consuming and may
lead to more delay,” he said.
The permission to start construction of the infrastructure is
vital since the MMRDA may not be able to meet the revised deadline of
completing the corridor by the end of next year if it does not come
through.
Once the BMC gives a go-ahead, the MMRDA will require at least
three months to construct the required sub-stations and generator rooms.
MMRDA Commissioner Rahul Asthana recently wrote to BMC Commissioner Sitaram Kunte, seeking permission to use the land required.
The development authority requires land at seven places along the 11.3-km Wadala-Jacob Circle corridor.
The development authority has demanded for a part of the Police
Parade Ground at Naigaon, besides land belonging to BMC’s BEST
undertaking at Parel-Sewri, patches of land at Lower Parel, Matunga and
Dadar-Naigaon.
The purposes listed are construction of auxiliary sub-stations, a
diesel generator room, a foot over-bridge, staircases, escalators,
lifts and a fire-fighting room.
According to Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the Estates
Department Chandrashekhar Chore, “Although these plots are owned by the
BMC, some of them are currently occupied by other agencies. Plots owned
and occupied by the civic agency have been given to MMRDA and it has
been asked to seek permission from other agencies that are currently
occupying the rest of the plots.”
The Wadala-Jacob Circle Monorail is being constructed as the
second phase of the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle corridor. The
construction of the line had commenced nearly four years ago and was
originally expected to be completed in 2011.
