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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
 Posted - 08/03/2009 : 10:04:23
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Juhu-Bandra residents upset over elevated 2nd Metro route
Juhu-Bandra residents upset over elevated 2nd Metro route
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/City/Mumbai/Juhu-Bandra-residents-upset-over-elevated-2nd-Metro-route/articleshow/4849746.cms
3 August 2009, 04:04am IST
MUMBAI: Citizens' groups in the Juhu-Bandra area are getting ready for a long drawn battle with the MMRDA over the issue of an underground section of the second Metro line-Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd.
"We will first try for a dialogue with the MMRDA, only when it fails will we resort to other measures like legal action,'' said Nitin Killawalla of the Juhu Vile Parle Residents' Association. Aftab Siddiqui of the Linking Road Residents' Association said they have asked the CM for a realignment along S V Road and are preparing to file a PIL against the elevated route.
The MMRDA, at its executive committee meeting on Wednesday, passed the second Metro line project with an elevated route, belying hopes for an underground section from Andheri to Bandra which citizens groups felt would prevent demolition of a large number of residential and commercial structures. Anandini Thakur, president of the H-West Ward Citizens Federation, said, "The Colaba-Bandra Metro rail route is planned as an underground route, then why this
discrimination against north Mumbai residents who have to put up with an elevated route which will cause destruction and pollution in our area?'' she said.
Killawalla said that 948 trees will be hacked along the route. According to Killawalla, the DPR over 32 km of sewer lines at 45 locations, 11 km of gas pipelines at 36 locations will have to be shifted to construct the elevated line. Using the latest technology for an underground line can greatly reduce this damage, he added.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 08/03/2009 : 19:48:48
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Overhead Metro-II approved
Ashley D'Mello & Chittaranjan Tembhekar, TNN 4 August 2009, 12:58am IST
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MUMBAI: The demand by thousands of residents in the western suburbs, to make a part of the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd Metro rail under ground, was
denied by the chief minister-led apex body of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Monday.
Chief minister Ashok Chavan formally cleared the Rs 8,250-crore Metro-II project as proposed by the MMRDA executive committee. Senior MMRDA officials said making a portion of the project underground would have added Rs 4,000 crore to the cost.
It remains to be seen now if the residents, who want a 9- to 10-km stretch from Bandra to Andheri to be made underground, come good on their threat to file a PIL against the project. The project is likely to begin this month after a bhoomipujan by President Pratibha Patil and the deadline to finish it is 2013.
Several resident associations and social organisations, led by engineers and architects from Bandra, Vile Parle, Juhu, Andheri and surrounding areas, had submitted underground designs and assured that they were feasible. "Why is an underground route proposed only for south Mumbai and not for the equally important and densely populated western suburbs?'' asked a member of the H-West Ward Citizens Federation, who made the demand along with the Linking Road Citizens Association and JVPD Scheme Residents Association.
A panel of architects, shopkeepers, educational institutions and activists had said the over-ground costs, in terms of environmental hazards, road widening and loss of livelihood, would be much higher. "An elevated Metro route will affect areas like JVPD, Linking Road and part of S V Road, where shops, residences and slums will have to be relocated. Trees will be uprooted and there'll be more noise. Roads and pavements will be narrowed,'' said a citizen.
The Metro-II line will be 32km long, with 27 stations, all of them elevated. The residents want the Bandra-Andheri section to have 7 elevated station, while the approved plan has 8. Officials argued that it is technically easier to build an overhead Metro than one that's both elevated and underground. Residents say arterial roads like Linking Road will get affected as the Metro line will take up much-needed space. They added that the disruption to families and commercial establishments, and the need to acquire land for an overhead route, would be equally high.
Khar corporator Ashish Shelar, who is the BJP member on the MMRDA apex body, said there were at least 9,000 objections from people to the overhead route. But MMRDA commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad assured at the meeting that people who lived along the route would not be dispossessed.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2009 : 10:49:49
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Reliance Infra consortium wins Mumbai rail project
http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINBOM20600220090804
Tue Aug 4, 2009 7:15pm IST
MUMBAI, Aug 4 (Reuters) - India's Reliance Infrastructure (RLIN.BO: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Tuesday its consortium with Reliance Communications (RLCM.BO: Quote, Profile, Research) and Canada's SNC-Lavalin (SNC.TO: Quote, Profile, Research) won a 110 billion rupees ($2.3 billion) Mumbai rail project.
The 32-kilometre Metro-II line from Charkop, a western suburb of Mumbai, to Mankhurd in the east will have 27 stations and is expected to be operational by 2015, the company said.
"We are confident of developing this project within five years from the date of financial closure," Lalit Jalan, chief executive officer, said in a statement.
Jalan said a concession agreement, giving the group 35 years to operate the railroad that can be extended by another 10 years, would be signed within 45 days of the issue of letter of award.
Financial closure would be completed within nine months of signing of the concession agreement, he said.
Reliance Infrastructure, controlled by Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group, is already building a Metro-I elevated line in parts of Mumbai suburbs and aims to complete the project ahead of schedule by September 2010.
The company also hopes to commission the Delhi Airport Express Line rail project, which connects the main railway station to the airport in the capital, by July 2010. ($1=47.7 rupees)
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 08/04/2009 : 11:06:07
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Reliance Infra bags Rs 11,000-cr Mumbai Metro Project
New Delhi (PTI): Anil Ambani Group company Reliance Infrastructure on Tuesday said it has bagged the Rs 11,000-crore Mumbai Metro Project.
Reliance Infrastructure in consortium with SNC Lavolin of Canada and Reliance Communication has been awarded the Rs 11,000 crore Mumbai Metro Project on (Build Operate and Transfer) BOT basis for 35 years with an extension clause of another 10 years, a company statement said.
The project, which is slated to be operational by 2015, will link Navi Mumbai and Western suburbs of Mumbai.
"The agreement would be signed within 45 days of the issue of letter of award. The financial closure would be achieved within nine months of signing of the agreement," Reliance Infrastructure CEO Lalit Jalan said.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 08/10/2009 : 19:04:49
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18 bidders to study Alibaug-Virar corridor
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_18-bidders-to-study-alibaug-virar-corridor_1281093
Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) has received 18 proposals for the techno economic and financial feasibility study of the multi-model corridor between Alibaug and Virar. The officials are expecting a similar response to the project. The corridor is a 100 km-long freeway. There will be eight lanes for vehicles besides the lanes for buses. The road will also have a Metro Rail track.
Under the project. a transportation study was conducted and the multi-model corridor was suggested. This freeway will begin from Virar on NH-18 and will culminate at Alibaug on the NH-17 via Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Dombivili and Panvel.
Out of 100 km, 60 km will be constructed anew. Consultancy firms interested in preparing the report include Louis Berger, SNC Lavalin, Stup consultants, Darashaw and Company, SN Bhobe associates, Earnst and Young, CES India, Lea associates and Parsons and Brinckerhoff.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 08/15/2009 : 20:31:10
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Citizens committee to submit fresh plan for underground metro http://www.mumbaimirror.com/index.aspx?Page=article§name=News%20-%20City§id=2&contentid=20090814200908140223476713bdb1f94
Friday, August 14, 2009 at 02:23:47 AM
While the proposal increases cost by Rs 4,000 cr, it will ensure minimum disruption to existing structures, avoid rehabilitation of thousands The Citizens’ Core Committee (CCC) of Juhu-Bandra has decided to submit a fresh proposal for the Andheri-Bandra underground section of the Versova-Ghatkopar Metro railway project to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) by next week.
MMRDA had planned to construct an elevated metro rail from Versova to Ghatkopar. But the citizen group opposed the plan, saying that the elevated rail would disrupt existing structures, and many people would have to be rehabilitated.
The group instead suggested an underground section from Bandra to Andheri, wherein stations would be located underground near open public spaces so that there is minimum disruption to the existing locality as well as human settlement.
The underground section will increase the cost by Rs 4,000 crore, over and above the Rs 7,660 crore earmarked for the project.
Sherly Singh, a CCC member, said that the revised proposal will take into account the ‘dipping zone’, that is, the underground entry and exit points of the elevated track.
“Experts, including architect PK Das and Nitin Killawala, are working on this plan. We had a meeting with the Washington-based transport consultants, Louis Berger Group on Tuesday, during which we discussed various aspects of the underground railway proposal,” Singh said.
“We observed that the dipping zones at both ends are most crucial, which need revision and new locations. We pointed out that the proposed elevated line which is 75 feet (seven storeys high) will create a problem at ESIC Nagar, Andheri. But at Bandra end, there are many options as the line will go underground beyond Western Express Highway. And we do need an underground section, considering
heavy traffic and high density locations,” Singh added.
Furthermore, Singh pointed out that 948 trees would also have to be hacked along the original ro ute. “According to the detailed project report, over 32 km of sewerage lines at 45 locations, and 11 km of gas pipelines at 36 locations will have to be shifted to construct the elevated line. Instead by using the latest
technology and building an underground section, it will reduce the need for all this,” she said.
Nitin Killawala, another member of CCC, said that he had suggested alternative locations for the ramp of the underground section at Link Road. “This will benefit residents of Millat Nagar, Lokhandwala Complex and Swami Samarth Nagar, apart from all commercial complexes on Link Road,” he reasoned.
PK Das also emphasised that as per the fresh proposal, all underground stations will be strategically located to connect unutilised open spaces and provide an opportunity to develop them.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2009 : 03:21:30
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Metro-2 puja now, work much later
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/metro2-puja-now-work-much-later/503216/
Aug 18, 2009 at 0154 hrs IST
Mumbai A ceremony on Tuesday to lay the foundation for the city’s second Metro
rail corridor will be symbolic; work is not likely to begin until mid-2010. The
bhoomi puja, which President Pratibha Patil will perform, is being held just
before the code of conduct for the Assembly elections is likely to come into
effect.
Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, which has bagged the contract for the 32-km,
27-station, elevated corridor on the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd route, is expected
to achieve financial closure within nine months of signing the concession
agreement.
“It is difficult to say when exactly work will begin. We’re still carrying
out project management studies and will have a clear picture in two-three
weeks,” said K P Maheshwari, Senior Vice President, Reliance Infrastructure.
A special purpose vehicle, being created to build the corridor, will have to
float tenders for civil construction and this, too, is a lengthy procedure.
Ratnakar Gaikwad, Metropolitan Commissioner, said the Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Development Authority (MMRDA) would ask Reliance Infrastructure to expedite the
procedures involved so that construction can start early. “Reliance
Infrastructure has conveyed to us informally that financial closure will take
around nine months due to the economic situation. But we will ask them to
expedite the procedures. We think work will begin within six to seven months,”
Gaikwad said.
The concession agreement will be signed by September, he said. Construction is
expected to take five years from the date of financial closure. Reliance
Infrastructure has estimated that the corridor would cost nearly Rs 11,000
crore, while the MMRDA’s estimate is Rs 8,250 crore.
Work on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor, another project being executed
by Reliance Infrastructure, began in February 2008, 19 months after the Prime
Minister had laid the foundation.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 08/26/2009 : 11:02:51
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DMRC builds longest city tunnel
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_dmrc-builds-longest-city-tunnel_1285173
Wednesday, August 26, 2009 2:38 IST
Mumbai: After a series of accidents at construction sites, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had something to cheer about last week - the completion of India's longest tunnel in an urban area by a consortium of Austria-based Alpine and Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), better known for constructing the Bandra-Worli Sea Link in Mumbai.
The 2.85-km tunnel has been constructed on DMRC's 27.5-km Talkatora
Garden-Buddha Jayanti Park line connecting City Centre and the international airport.
Of the 2.85 km, 180 metres were constructed using the traditional cut-and-cover method, in which the surface is cleared and a cavity created from the ground level. The work began in December 2007, with the sinking of three access shafts, one at each end of the tunnel and one in the middle.
The New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) was used to construct the remaining portion of the tunnel. "This technology was used as it would have been difficult to employ tunnel-building machines in the area," an HCC official said.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/08/2009 : 09:42:59
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Railways, metro plans make Texmaco a solid bet
Ujjval Jauharri / DNA
Monday, September 7, 2009 1:18 IST
Mumbai: Texmaco Ltd, the diversified engineering firm of K K Birla Group, manufactures and sells heavy engineering products. Incorporated in 1939, it has five factories near Kolkata. It provides equipment machinery and services to core-sector projects and process industries in India and internationally.
Business: Texmaco has three segments -- heavy engineering division, steel foundry division and others.The products comprise railway wagons, hydro-mechanical equipment for hydel projects, heavy engineering machinery for shipbuilding and bridge construction. It produces industrial boilers and machinery for oil and fertiliser sector, machinery for textile mills, boilers, super heaters, economisers, chimneys, pressure vessels and equipment for chemicals, paper, cement, coke oven and iron & steel industries.Its prowess also lies in coal and other solid material handling and conveying plants and railway rolling stocks etc. The steel foundry division caters to castings for railway equipment, sugar machinery etc.
Texmaco derives a major portion of its revenues from large-scale contracts for wagons. Rolling stock accounts for more than half of its revenues and is a steady cash generator. Texmaco is the largest wagon manufacturer in India, enjoying a 25% market share. A leader in commodity specific wagons, it has a capacity to manufacture over 7,500 wagons. Texmaco in 2007 formed a 50:50 joint venture with United Group for the biggest railway hub in West Bengal and more are on cards.
Hydro mechanical equipment comprising penstock, trash gates, sluice gates and hoists contribute 8-10% to revenues. Process equipment such as low-pressure boilers contribute 5-6% to gross revenues.
The steel foundry division contributes 17-18% of gross revenues. Texmaco has a steel foundry for manufacturing bogies and couplers. Texmaco is also focusing on exports. The hydro mechanical equipment and structurals have been key contributors to the export revenues.
Investment rationale: The opportunities offered by Indian Railways are immense. The 11th Five-Year Plan has proposed a Rs 2,30,000 crore expansion for the Railways. Demand for wagons is on the rise from both the public and private sector. Rising investments in steel, cement and power sectors have added to growth in freight despite slowdown. Expediting development of the freight corridor would add to efficiency and, in turn, boost demand for wagons. Mass rapid transport system including electric multiple unit and metro railways are expanding.
Texmaco is all set to exploit these opportunities and has entered into tie-ups with several multi-national firms. Texmaco has a JV with end-to-end rail technology solution provider United Group Ltdfor manufacturing hi-tech wagon and locomotive railway frames. The work on hi-tech high-payload steel wagons would focus on exports to markets such as Australia.
It would manufacture 1,000 wagons to start with, and aims at an income of Rs 400 crore. The JV will also manufacture locomotive bogie frames. Texmaco has also forayed into manufacturing of metro coaches. It had been shortlisted for the upcoming Kolkata Metro Rail project.
A greenfield plant for manufacturing metro coaches at a cost of Rs 200-300 crore is also planned. Texmaco has raised Rs 170 crore through qualified institutional placement route and the entire amount will be spent on new projects. The metro and EMU project is expected to take off by the next financial year.
Texmaco has an order backlog of around 5,500 coaches. It is participating in tenders floated by Indian Railways, which plans to procure 18,000 wagons in 2009-10. A tender for 5,862 wagons was floated in July 2009 and more are expected in the third quarter. Texmaco will get some share in these tenders, and benefits of added orders would accrue in FY11E.
Hydro mechanical equipment offer opportunities, however, hydro projects have long gestation periods. Order-book thereby remains stagnant at Rs 200-300 crore. The benefit to profitability from these is expected to be visible in next 2-3 years.
Concerns: Major impetus to growth will be provided by wagon procurements by Indian Railways. Any deviation in procurement policy by Railways or delayed procurement can affect Texmaco's estimated revenues.
Valuations: Texmaco reported a topline of Rs 183.40 crore during the last quarter, a decline of 6.82% over the same quarter last year. However, reduced raw material costs pushed operating margins up 98 basis points. Net profit at Rs 20.55 crore saw a slight decline year-on-year over the Rs 22.82 crore posted in the same period last year. Texmaco has a strong order book that is expected to grow well looking at the increased procurement targets by the Railways. Increased activity in the metro and EMU projects as well as freight corridors, all offer greater opportunities for which Texmaco is gearing up its capacities and engineering prowess. Stock is thereby a good addition to portfolio. |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 09/23/2009 : 10:52:58
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Monorail: delay in right of way may hit deadline
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/monorail-delay-in-right-of-way-may-hit-deadline/520301/
Sep 23, 2009 at 2349 hrs IST
Mumbai With just 16 months left to meet the deadline, the delay in obtaining Right of Way (ROW) is likely to put the Mumbai Monorail project off the track The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) undertaking the project has to obtain the ROW at Bhoiwada (Parel), Antop Hill, Ambedkar Nagar and Mint Colony areas.
Senior MMRDA officials said the agency has to undertake land acquisition in these areas. In the Bhoiwada area, it might acquire a building to give way to the Monorail, while in other areas it has to acquire small structures. The agency not only has to acquire the land, but also rehabilitate the Project Affected People (PAP)
MMRDA officials taking care of Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) issues said the primary survey work of the land to be acquired has already begun. This should approximately take two months. But the process of convincing the people affected by the project to shift and the impending legal procedures (if anyone goes to court) consumes a lot of time. And if the issues are sorted out, then the MMRDA can go ahead with the land acquisition process.
The bhoomipoojan for the Monorail project (from Jacob Circle to Chembur via Wadala) was held with much fanfare in February this year. The first link on the 20-km Monorail from Chembur to Wadala is expected to complete in November 2010 and the second link (Wadala to Jacob Circle ) in April 2011. While awarding the contract to Larsen and Toubro-Scomi, the MMRDA had also added a clause of penalising the company if it doesn’t abide by the deadline.
The R&R issues have been a major hindrance in many infrastructure projects in Mumbai undertaken by the MMRDA like the Phase I (Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor). The delay in the projects had also led to cost escalation.
“But unlike the Metro Rail projects, Monorail has had fewer R&R issues, and the MMRDA might not face much problem in acquiring the property,” an official added. |
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 10/04/2009 : 21:19:02
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Western Rly curbs, pending rights make it tight for Metro
With the deadline for the completion of construction of the citys first Metro corridor nearing, the challenges for the implementing agency are growing. The most immediate of these is the construction of the 183-metre bridge over the suburban railway lines at Andheri.
Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL), the special purpose vehicle for the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor formed by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Veolia Transport, is targeting a July 2010 deadline for operations to start on the 11.2-km corridor.
But there is an obstacle. Western Railway authorities say they will only allow construction for a three-hour period, when their services are shut. Work on this section is yet to start, with go-aheads from Western Railway and BMC awaited.
Ashwini Bhide, joint metropolitan commissioner forMMRDA, said even with the restriction, simultaneous construction along the alignment could help them complete the project on time. The viaduct construction along the alignment also remains. But I dont think it would overshoot the deadline if MMOPL manages the time period available, which they will, Bhide said.
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MMOPL officials were not available for comment. Asked if MMOPL has conveyed that the restricted working hours would affect the schedule, Bhide said, It is always the case with any road over-bridge projects involving railways; they allow work only when there are no services. It is not impossible to get the bridge completed on time.
Another hurdle is the Right of Way (ROW) that is yet to be handed over by the MMRDA. The ROW for nearly 2 km, in pockets, is pending. On some stretches, the MMRDA is widening the roads; on some, project-affected persons have appealed or the traffic police have not given permission. The MMOPL says it is waiting for the ROW from Navrang Cinema to Andheri SV Road and from Saki Naka to Asalpha to LBS Marg.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 10/10/2009 : 03:08:00
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Post-MUTP, suburban rly ticket prices may increase
TNN 10 October 2009, 03:39am IST
MUMBAI: The Indian Railways will lose around Rs 200 crore a year when the Mumbai Urban Transport Project- phase I is completed by December 2010 and an additional Rs 450 crore after the project's second phase is completed by 2014 if suburban ticket prices are not jacked up.
Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation and World Bank officials on Friday said infrastructural additions would add monetary burden on the system which is cross-subsidised by freight traffic.
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S.ravi
Advanced Member
India
4205 Posts |
Posted - 10/24/2009 : 23:59:19
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MMRDA will toe HC line for second phase
Ashley D'Mello, TNN 25 October 2009, 01:51am IST
MUMBAI: The MMRDA will continue its work on the second Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd Metro line, taking into consideration the suggestions and
objections to the project as directed by the Bombay high court.
The HC had recently given a ruling, preventing the MMRDA from commercially exploiting the space on the 27 stations along its route. The court has asked the MMRDA to follow the due process laid down by the government for such projects.
MMRDA chief Ratnakar Gaikwad said the court ruling will not affect the project. "The court has asked us to follow the procedure laid down by the state and we will do just that by inviting suggestions and objections on the issue.''
The second line will cost over Rs 6,000 crore and will be built by a consortium led by Reliance Infrastructure Ltd.
The route has attracted criticism from citizens' groups and social activists for its elevated track and the number of people it will displace. A few months ago, the urban development department had heard suggestions and objections to the line.
The Juhu Vile Parle Housing Scheme Residents' Association, led by Nitin Killawalla, Linking Road Residents' Association led by Aftab Siddiqui and the H West Ward Citizens Foundation opposed it. Activist Medha Patkar had brought up the issue of displaced families at the proposed Charkop train carshed.
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mumbai metro -Latest news
