Virar-Alibaug corridor work drags on

In order to develop new townships Urban Development Department (UDD) of the state had planned 126 km Virar-Alibaug mumltimodal corridor back in 2010. The project, to be executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) exists only on paper till date.

The deadline for the 76 km long phase-1 from Navghar in Virar to Chirner (JNPT) of the project was decided as 2014 in 2010, and was later extended up to 2017, but still as the work on the stretch has not started, MMRDA now feels the phase-1 will be ready for public use only by 2021.

The project once completed will help people traveling to Alibaug from Virar to reach in 75 minutes. The 126 km corridor will have eight lanes and will connect NH8 (Ahmedabad), NH3 (Agra-Delhi), NH4 (Pune-Bangalore), NH4 B (JNPT) and the Mumbai Pune Expressway.

The corridor is 30 metre wide with a metro corridor planned in the middle, four lanes for Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) and other four-lanes for normal traffic.

A senior MMRDA official on condition of anonymity, said, “We are facing problems while acquiring land for the project as there are locals from the villages who are protesting against giving their land for the project. Also, there are obstacles from the environment and forest department when it comes to getting clearances from them for the corridor.”

He further added, “We are now anticipating that the work for phase-1 will start by 2017, and will be ready for public use by 2021. However, there are no plans about the phase-2 from Chriner to Alibaug is also having problems when it comes to acquiring land. Our priority is the phase-1 at the moment.”

The corridor will also pass through Panvel, Pen, Taloja, Uran, Bhiwandi, Ulhasnagar, Ambernath, and Kalyan, which is expected to bring growth in these regions.

According to another MMRDA official, the total cost of the 76 km phase-1 is also expected to increase from Rs 9,000 crore to Rs 11,000 crore and cost of the Rs 3,500 crore phase-2 is also expected to increase.

Also, the metro corridor and the BRTS scheme cannot be constructed now, as he said there would be no ridership for the same. Only after townships are developed near the metro corridor will they be able to get ridership, he added.

The MMRDA is also planning to have dedicated bicycle lanes because it wants more people to use bicycles.Meanwhile, Sanjay Khandare, additional metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, said, “We are in the process of acquiring land for phase-1 and we soon expect the work to be started for the same.”