Bidding for Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project soon: Chavan

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan today said the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) project is on track and will change the economic scene in the country's financial capital.

Replying to a discussion on the issue during the question hour, Chavan said the project has been under consideration for 30 years and in the last 7-8 years, there have been two attempts to revive the project.

"However, the bidding process was unsuccessful," he said. Chavan said the Centre has agreed for a viability gap funding (VGF) of Rs 1,920 crore. "There are five international consortium and the bidding process will start soon," he added.

He said the rehabilitation of the project-affected will be done as per prescribed norms. All eligible slum dwellers till 1995 will be rehabilitated.

For vital public projects, the cut off date for rehabilitation is upto year 2000.

The issue was raised by Jitendra Avhad (NCP) that there are about 600 slums on the Bombay Port Trust (BPT) land out of which about 340 have been rehabilitated and demanded that the rest of the project affected should also be given alternate homes.

While replying to another question on repairs of MHADA layouts, Chavan said the final draft of the regulations is ready and he had accepted the recommendations of a government committee set up for the purpose.

Subhash Desai ( Shiv Sena) criticised the government for delay in implementing the decisions saying that the government was waiting for elections to be declared.