21 November,2023 02:06 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
File Pic/MMRDA
Mumbai Trans Harbour Link: The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Maharashtra unit has claimed that the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), touted as India's longest sea bridge, will be thrown open for public use on December 25, but the government agency implementing the project said although it is 97 per cent complete, the remaining work is not likely to get over by that time, the PTI reported.
The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link is a six-lane 21.8 km road bridge between Sewri (Mumbai) and Chirle (Navi Mumbai). The project, being implemented by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), will link south Mumbai with Navi Mumbai township. Once completed, it would be the longest sea bridge in India and would cater to 70,000 vehicles daily, officials said, as per PTI.
According to the news agency, On Monday, the Maharashtra unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said on X that the "Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sea Link" will be inaugurated on December 25 this year, on the birth anniversary of the late prime minister after whom it is to be named.
However, when contacted, an MMRDA source said, "The construction work of the sea link is nearly 97 per cent complete. But the work of electrification, erection of poles on the bridge, toll booths and integration of the entire system is yet to be done."
"Some of the work orders for erecting polls and others were issued in June this year. The project cannot be completed by December this year," the source said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project a few years back. The work was partially affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Although the ruling BJP has announced the date of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link inauguration, the Maharashtra government has not made any announcement about its inauguration yet.
In May this year, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis visited the MTHL and drove a vehicle on the bridge, also known as the Sewri-Nhava Sheva Trans Harbour Link.
Meanwhile, in September, the officials had said that the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project is nearing completion, with 96.60 per cent of the civil work done, according to Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, the Commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). The MTHL is a groundbreaking sea bridge spanning 22 kilometers, connecting Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, and it represents a significant infrastructure development in the region.
(with PTI inputs)
