The state government is likely to allocate Rs 6,000 crore to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for big ticket infrastructure projects such as the 22-km long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), 33.5-km Colaba-Seepz-Bandra Metro-3 underground corridor, 18.5-km Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro-2 and 16.5-km Dahisar(e)-Andheri(e) Metro-7 corridor in the upcoming budget for the financial year of 2016-17.
The MMRDA was allocated Rs 402.6 crore, in its budget for 2015-16, for the phase-II of the monorail project from Wadala to Sant Gadge Maharaj Chowk or Jacob Circle. Phase-I of Mumbai Monorail from Chembur to Wadala Depot was inaugurated in February 2014.
“We have submitted the calculations to the state government and we expect around Rs 6,000 crore for the upcoming big ticket infrastructure projects. Out of the Rs 402.6 crore, MMRDA was allocated in the last financial year, around Rs 2,500 crore has been already spent and the balance of around '13,000 crore will be carried forward,” said a senior MMRDA official, requesting anonymity.
According to MMRDA officials, out of the Rs 6,000 crore, MTHL is set to be allocated Rs 1,000 crore and the same amount for Metro-3 followed by Rs 500 crore each for Metro-2 and Metro-7 corridors.
The allocation of Rs 6,000 crore will also boost projects like that of Kalanagar flyover, improvement of roads at View Point in Matheran by installing clay paver blocks, BKC-Chunabhatti connector, proposed Sewri-Worli connector, Eastern Freeway and Santa Cruz-Chembur Link Road extension.
“The demand has been made by keeping in view the upcoming metro corridors and MTHL and the rest of the amount will come from the Japanese International Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) after the state government signs agreement for the funding of infrastructure projects,” the MMRDA official added.
Currently, the JICA has agreed to fund 57 per cent of the project cost for the Metro-3 corridor and around 80 per cent of the total project cost for MTHL.
The state government is also in talks with the ADB for the funding of the upcoming metro corridors in the city.
“Apart from this, MMRDA also expects to extract huge sum of money by selling its 12,500 square metres commercial plot in G block and 21,807 square metres of residential plot in G(north) block at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). We can expect around Rs 400-500 crore from the plots,” added the MMRDA official.
The executive committee of MMRDA headed by chief secretary Swadheen Kashatriya will hold a special meet with MMRDA officials on Wednesday to discuss the same. However, state finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar is scheduled to announce the state its second financial budget on Friday.
