19 June,2011 07:57 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
Talk about wasteful expenditure. Both NHAI and MMRDA will go ahead with their respective projects that connect the same areas
After months of consideration on whether or not to go ahead with the proposed multi-modal corridor between Virar and Alibaug because the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) was planning a road on the same route, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) authorities have decided to go ahead with their project.
The NHAI, too, plans to go ahead with its highway project.
According to MMRDA's plans, the corridor will start at Virar and pass through Vasai, Diva, Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Panvel towns of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and finally end at Alibaug. The NHAI project, on the other hand, plans to connect Dahanu and Revas, which is also the same stretch that MMRDA has chalked out for its corridor, but will not connect the various towns in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
Also, while MMRDA's project is ambitious with various transport options like a metro rail, separate corridors for bus rapid transit system and motor vehicles, pedestrian pathways, service roads, etc, NHAI plans to construct a highway.
"Both agencies will now undertake their respective projects in the MMR,'' said MMRDA Commissioner Rahul Asthana.
Last year, after getting to know about NHAI's project in the MMR, the MMRDA had held a series of meetings with the NHAI officials requesting them to drop their project. According to MMRDA officials, the duplication would be unnecessary and the corridor, with its various types of travel options, would do a better job at connecting these areas than NHAI's project.
Asthana added, "The highway planned by NHAI will not connect the various towns in MMR like our corridor will.
Apart from connecting these various places, we will also develop them."
