The Maharashtra Cabinet has finally rolled out its ambitious plan to connect Haji Ali to Nariman Point, and it’s not going to be a direct sea link or a tunnel. If all goes as planned, there will be a 2.2 km sea link from Haji Ali to Priyadarshini Park, which will then connect to Malabar Hill via a 3.8 km part underground, part cut-and-cover tunnel. A small flyover from Malabar Hill will open out at Girgaum Chowpatty . From there, motorists can either exit at Tambe Square near Wilson College and head to Pedder Road via the yet-to-be-constructed flyover or continue on their journey to Nariman Point via a 4.6 km cut-n-cover tunnel along the coastline. This much-talked about cut-and-cover tunnel will have a glass roof and will be built along the beachfront, parallel to Marine Drive. A second small flyover will then connect Nariman Point to Cuffe Parade. Already, however, the government is facing opposition from residents and transport experts, and it will not be a smooth ride. For one, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) — which is overseeing the project — will have to get the required go ahead from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority. Activists and residents along this stretch, especially those at Pedder Road, say this is a classic example of “wrong planning’’. “The Malabar Hill to Girgaum Chowpatty connection and the Pedder Road flyover’s landing will meet at Tambe square near Wilson College, resulting in a bottleneck,’’ said one urban planner. Similarly, a number of residents at Priyadarshini Park have objected to the digging of a tunnel and allege that the state did not conduct a feasibility study before approving the plan. There are also doubts over whether this massive undertaking will be completed in the near future given that the Bandra Worli Sea Link alone to nearly 10 years. “The plan is wrong on every count. It took many years to complete the Bandra Worli Sea Link due to legal and environmental issues, which resulted in an escalation in the cost of the project and the subsequent high toll,’’ said transport expert Ashok Datar. “Why are we taking more car traffic to already congested south Mumbai through such costly projects?’’ he asked. Residents, too, have expressed doubts over whether the government’s plan will pan out in the near future. “The Pedder Road flyover was mired in residents’ objections for over a decade. A cut-and-cover tunnel along the Marine Drive coast seems to be a distant dream in comparison,’’ said Piyush Bhagat, a resident of Mahalaxmi. Meanwhile, MSRDC’s acting MD Sonia Sethi countered the claims. “The MSRDC is aware of Tambe Square’s importance in the future and will design dispersal in such a way that it will not get clogged,’’ she said, refuting allegations that the MSRDC did not study the direct underground tunnel option between Haji Ali and Nariman Point. “The present option has been chosen after a long and through process with the help of experts,’’ she said. The MSRDC is also planning a water transport project between Nariman Point and Borivli in order to decongest the roads. Existing Bandra Worli Sea Link Length : 4.6 km
Status : Carriageway for northbound traffic top open on March 16
Cost Rs 1,700 cr
Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link Length : 6.4 km
Status :Contract given to Reliance Infrastructure-Hyundai Consortium and work is expected to begin soon
Deadline : 2015
Cost Rs 4,500 cr
Sea link connecting Haji Ali to Priyadarshini Park Length : 2.2 km
Status : Design approved by state government
Cost Rs 1,500 cr
Underground tunnel from Priyadarshini Park to Malabar Hill Length : 3.8 km
This will be part underground, part cut-and-cover tunnel
Status : Design approved by state government
Cost Rs 2,250 cr
Malabar Hill to Nariman Point :A flyover from Malabar Hill will open out at Girgaum Chowpatty. From Chowpatty to Nariman Point, glass roofed cut-and-cover tunnel will be built along Marine Drive
Length : 4.6
Status : Permission has to be granted by the environment dept
Cost Rs 2,250-3,000 cr Costs are estimates
A combination of road and bridge is also being designed to connect Bandra to Versova over the 10 km coastal road. This route, too, will also have a cut-and-cover tunnel at Juhu and Goregaon Chowpatty .The state government has shelved its initial plan of building a direct link from Haji Ali to Nariman point and has now split the project into several phases. This, said officials, will work out to be a more affordable option. But the estimated cost of Rs 6,750 crore for the new plan is of little relief to the MSRDC, which is presently facing losses amounting to over Rs 2,400 crore. The government is hoping for a 20% grant from the Centre to complete the project. “But the Centre has already rejected funds for the Bandra-Worli and Worli-Haji Ali sections under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The reason given was that the project was started even before the commissioning of the JNNURM scheme. If we co-relate the Haji Ali to Nariman Point link project with the Bandra-Worli and Worli-Haji Ali sea links, we will not get the grant,’’ said a senior MSRDC official on the condition of anonymity. According to a senior engineer even the design of the Haji Ali-Nariman Point section is completely different.
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