28 February,2024 07:33 AM IST | Mumbai | Prajakta Kasale
The eastern freeway is to be extended up to Thane. File pic
The interim budget proposed by the state government on Tuesday has a provision for projects to provide better connectivity in and around Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The proposal mentions a coastal road up to Palghar, an eastern freeway extension to Thane and a multimodal corridor for Virar-Alibaug. Apart from roadways, the proposal also mentions projects for enhanced sea connectivity, with a new port to be developed near Elephanta and a well-equipped jetty near the Gateway of India. For skill development, a leather park at Deonar and a modern training and skill development facility at Worli have been proposed.
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State Finance Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, while presenting the interim budget, said that the Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Versova-Bandra Sea Bridge will be extended to Palghar, while the Vilasrao Deshmukh Eastern Freeway will be extended to Thane city. He also mentioned land acquisition for the Virar-Alibaug multimodal corridor at a total estimated cost of Rs 22,225 crore, adding that land acquisition for India's first bullet train - the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project - is almost complete in Maharashtra. The proposal includes port development works to be undertaken at Elephanta at a cost of Rs 88 crore, apart from Rs 229 crore proposed for the construction of a well-equipped jetty at Radio Club near the Gateway of India, under the Sagarmala scheme.
The interim budget also mentioned plans to develop a leather park at Deonar and an industrial training centre for leather at Govandi, through the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, apart from a modern training and skill development facility at Worli. The tender process for work of setting up a unity mall in Navi Mumbai, at a cost of Rs 196 crore is in progress, under the âMake in India' initiative, based on the âOne District One Product' concept.