The state government has cleared two major infrastructure projects – Mumbai’s Metro Line 13 and the eastern extension of the proposed Ring Road in Pune. Both projects received the go-ahead from the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure on Tuesday.
The Metro Line 13 project, a 25.03-km-long metro corridor connecting Mira-Bhayandar to Vasai and Virar, will be executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The ₹17,725-crore project will include a 21.78-km elevated section and a 3.25-km underground section, with 16 stations, three of them underground.
The project also includes a 4.92-km-long, six-lane integrated road-and-metro double-deck bridge across the Vasai creek with a link to Panju Island. The corridor will connect Mira Road, Vasai, Nalasopara, Naigaon and Virar, and will include a depot at Chikhal Dongri in Virar.
Metro 13 will link up with suburban railway stations at Naigaon, Nalasopara and Virar, and will be interlinked with Metro 9 at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose stadium. “The project needs a 24.84-hectare land parcel to be acquired by the implementing authorities. The land acquisition and rehabilitation cost is ₹2,715 crore. The chief minister has directed officials to complete land acquisition and access roads for Metro 13 within six months,” said an official who was part of the Cabinet Infrastructure Committee meeting.
Daily ridership on the corridor is projected to reach 4.49 lakh by 2031. “The project is expected to cut travel time by half compared to road travel. It will strengthen connectivity between Vasai-Virar, Mira-Bhayandar and Mumbai’s suburbs, as well as industrial and logistics hubs,” said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who chairs the Cabinet Infrastructure Committee. The project is expected to be completed five years after approvals are received.
MMRDA has sought the go-ahead to be appointed as the Special Planning Authority (SPA) to implement Metro Line 13 along with the Vasai creek bridge.
The committee has also granted administrative approval to the revised project cost of ₹10,502.36 crore for the eastern extension of the proposed Pune Ring Road, aimed at reducing traffic congestion in Pune. The project will be implemented by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
The project includes a 31.805-km access-controlled expressway from Soratwadi in Walti on the Pune-Solapur Road, to Varve on the Pune-Satara Road.
“The ring road is aimed at diverting inter-state and intra-state traffic around Pune city. The integrated access-controlled corridor will be completed once continuity of the entire 168.981-km project is ensured. Around 80% of the land acquisition for the project has been completed, and the project is planned to be completed by June 2029,” according to a statement issued by the government.
The ring road will have three lanes on each side, with a planned speed limit of 120kmph. The project will include one interchange, three major bridges, five minor bridges, 18 elevated sections or flyovers and four tunnels.
Surendra P Gangan is Senior Assistant Editor with political bureau of Hindustan Times’ Mumbai Edition. He covers state politics and Maharashtra government’s administrative stories. Reports on the developments in finances, agriculture, social sectors among others.Read More
