New airport, 2 metro lines top Maharashtra government's agenda

MUMBAI: Some major infrastructure projects such as the second international airport for Mumbai in Navi Mumbai and completion of the Rs 9,600-crore trans-harbour link are now on the Maharashtra government's agenda. The government has also given clearance to two new metro railway lines in Mumbai, which will be Metro 5 and Metro 2 lines.

Most of the land required for the Navi Mumbai international airport has been already acquired.About 291 hectares of land is yet to be acquired and talks with owners of this land have reached advanced stages.

But apart from this new airport, there are a few other new infrastructure projects which will revive Mumbai's transport services, are now on state government's agenda.

“The chief minister has given approval to two new metro lines which will connect central Mumbai to its metropolitan region.One will be between WadalaGhatkopar-Thane and the another between Dahisar-CharkopBandra and Mankhurd.

Apart from that four new flyovers have been approved to decongest the business district of Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).

“These decisions were taken at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority's ( MMRDA) meeting on Thursday,“ Dilip Kawathkar, Joint Director of the authority said.

The state government recently gave a presentation to union environment & forests minister Prakash Javadekar, on various infrastructure projects. MoEF clearances for all these projects have been promised.

“Navi Mumbai International airport is mainly on the agenda because by 2019 we expect that Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport will reach saturation. This airport is cur rently handling over 700 take offs and landings per day. Navi Mum bai airport will be needed to handle the growing air traffic beyond 2020. We will have to connect Navi Mumbai airport by road to south Mumbai and that's why the trans harbour link is crucial,“ said a se nior official who was present at the presentation.

“This second international air port for Mumbai will have two parallel runways, which will be east west,“ said the officer.