Rly approves MMRDA plans to raise IFSC height

Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Auth-ority’s (MMRDA’s) plans to increase the height of the IFSC (International Finance Service Centre) on Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) land have been app-roved by the railway, confirmed metropolitan commissioner R.A. Rajeev. The height will be raised fr-om 61 metre to 96 metre. The BKC land will house both the bullet train station and the IFSC. The MMRDA is confident that IFSC will not in any way delay the bullet train work. The bullet train terminal will be underground while the IFSC will be constructed above ground.

“We have received the nod from the railway to raise the height of the str-ucture and the timeline of the bullet train is not going to be affected at all. The co-nsultants had designed the underground structure to incorporate the 65 metre tall structure above. We ha-ve informed them that the height is 96 metre now,” sa-id Mr Rajeev.

When The Asian Age contacted the spokesperson of the NHSRC which is implementing the bullet train project, he revealed that the raise in height is still under discussion and will be approved only after hearing from the engineers.

According to reports, the idea behind increasing the height is to maximise revenue generation. Attention was drawn to the issue in chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ meeting with railway minister Piyush Goyal held last month.

Meanwhile, land acquisition for the Mumbai-Ahm-edabad bullet train corridor has not moved an inch due to staunch opposition from farmers in Palghar district and Gujarat.