MMRDA holds ceremony away from the actual project site to ensure no inconvenience for commuters
MMRDA holds ceremony away from the actual project site to ensure no inconvenience for commuters
The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) held the bhoomi pujan of the first monorail project in the city at 8 pm yesterday inside a plush resort. The MMRDA cited constraints of space for their
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STEP 1: (From left) Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, MPCC president Gurudas Kamath and Chandrakant Handore at The Acres Club, Chembur, yesterday. PIC/SAMEER MARKANDE |
decision to hold the ceremony inside the resort. Ideally, the foundation stone is laid at the site.
The bhoomi pujan of the Chembur-Wadala-Jacob Circle monorail was performed by Chief Minister Ashok Chavan inside The Acres Club in Chembur. An official from MMRDA said, "Technically, it would be wrong to say that it was the bhoomi pujan of the monorail, as The Acres Club is not a part of monorail's alignment. However, if the inaugural ceremony was performed on the road, it would have been inconvenient for people." The MMRDA paid money for the function, but refused to disclose the amount.
Shailesh Parekh, general manager (Administration), The Acres Club, said, "We were informed by the MMRDA, who are also implementing the project, about this event." When asked how the monorail will affect their business, he added that The Acres Club is away from the spot that is part of the alignment. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was supposed to inaugurate the project on November 29 at Jacob Circle, which is the starting point of the 20-km route. However, it was delayed due to the 26/11 terror attacks.
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The MMRDA had initially faced problems in selecting the private contractor to construct the Rs 2,460 crore-project, as it was for the first time that the monorail was planned in Mumbai and India. The work of digging roads and soil testing for the project began in December 2008.
About the projectMonorail is a lighter version of a Metro rail and will have a capacity of 20,000 passengers per direction during peak hours. Although construction is a problem, it can easily ply on narrow roads unlike a metro rail. Presently, monorail is being used only in Japan, Malaysia and China. There are two other monorails in the pipeline - Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan (30 km) and BKC-Bandra (9 km).
Number of stations: 18
Train frequency: Every 4.5 minutes
Fare (2011-12): Rs 8 to Rs 20
