Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, in a meeting with the State Urban Development Minister on Tuesday, approved a sum of ₹12,969.35 crores as budget to develop infra works in the MMR. A significant part of this allocation has been dedicated to ramping up the metro network in Mumbai, read reports. This is set to scale up the rate of development in the maximum city, bridging a better connect and commute for the benefit of all.
Mumbai commute infrastructure receives financial aid
The MMRDA has undertaken the task of completing a 337-km long metro mesh in the city with the commission of Metro lines 2-A (Dahisar-DN Nagar) and Corridor 7 (Dahisar-Andheri) this year. To facilitate this with ease, the authority has issued a financial aid of ₹700.65 and ₹999.45 crores to 2-A and 7, respectively. Additionally, a surfeit of ₹4,571.25 crores has been put aside for all other metro projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
This includes a budgetary allocation of ₹250 crores for Metro-3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz). As per the development programme, this Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation project is an underground route, stretching for about 33.5 km. Besides the metro rail network, ₹329.30 crores have been allotted to the Metro Bhavan and staff quarters, proposed at Aarey.
While ₹120.20 crores have been allocated for the Mumbai Monorail project, the MMRDA has budgeted a ₹200 crore refurbishment of both, the Western Express Highway and Eastern Express Highway.
MMRDA allots ₹260 crores for the Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial at Dadar
Meanwhile, the Mumbai-Trans Habour Link Road has also been sanctioned ₹2,900.35 crores. This financial grant will help to connect Mumbai to the mainland via a sea link between Sewree and Nhava in Raigad by mid-2023. Besides, ₹100 crores have been awarded for the proposed Swargiya Balasaheb Thackeray grand memorial and ₹260 crores for the Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial proposed at Indu Mills in Dadar.
Reports have revealed that the proposition for a 77-crore pedestrian bridge from City Park in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to the Maharashtra Nature Park (MNP) has also been floated for MMRDA approval. MMRDA has further sanctioned ₹60 crores each, for the Chheda Nagar improvement project and Kalanagar junction improvement project. As only 20% of civil work is left for the junction project, the Chief Minister has already inaugurated the south-bound arm of the flyover.
While this year’s budget is relatively lower in comparison to that of 2020-2021 and 2019-2020, MMRDA officials have stated that the revised estimates of the last two years were much lower. This is paving a feasible route of development in Mumbai where the actual expenditure will soon periodically revise the expected expenditure here, Joint Metropolitan Commissioner of the MMRDA highlighted.
