02 September,2022 08:03 AM IST | Mumbai | Rajendra B. Aklekar
Structural work is carried out on the Uran suburban line
September is here, but the much-promised Uran suburban railway line is yet to see the light of day, as the deadline has now been pushed back to December 2022/January 2023.
The line would have been complete by September 2022, but some villagers had not been allowing work to take place on some patches for the past few months owing to compensation issues with the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).
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The construction of the Belapur-Uran local train project is key to Navi Mumbai airport connectivity, had been fast-paced, with just a small stretch now remaining. Of the 26.7-km stretch, a 12-km tract to Kharkopar is operational with two suburban trains providing 40 services, and work on the last leg of the project is underway.
Minister of state for railways Raosaheb Danve had told mid-day in March 2022 that the railways had been awaiting an amount of Rs 36 crore owed by the Maharashtra government for the project.
The project is being done on a cost-sharing basis with the CIDCO. One-third of the project's cost is being borne by railways and two-thirds by CIDCO at 67:33. A few funds from CIDCO are yet to be received by railways. The new line connects the existing harbour line at two points. One arm goes to Nerul and the other to Belapur.
The date of approval of the project was March 1996 with an original deadline of March 2004 and an original project cost of Rs 495.44 crore. The cost has risen to Rs 2,980.41 crore of which Rs 1,768.25 has been spent so far.
"Work has now begun and is being completed at a rapid pace and we are trying to complete it in the given time frame," a CR spokesperson said.
Rs 2,980cr
Cost of the project
. Total Length: 26.7 km
. Phase-I from Nerul/ Belapur to Kharkopar: 12.4 km (complete)
. Phase-II from Kharkopar to Uran: 14.3 km (underway)
