A happy 2024 for Navi Mumbai

By Vinod Kumar MenonProject 1Navi Mumbai International Airport NMIANMIA will be one of the worldrsquos largest greenfield airports implemented by CIDCO and the first urban multiairport system in India being developed by Adani Airport Holdings Ltd NMIA is proposed to have two parallel and independent runways for simultaneous and independent operations along with fulllength parallel taxiways on either side of runways NMIA is planned to handle a minimum of 60 million passengers and 15 million tonnes of cargo annually The airport is aimed to ease the traffic pressure on the Mumbai airport ldquoPhaseI of the airport will be commissioned very soon and the first flight is expected to take off by the end of 2024rdquo said a CIDCO officialProposed connectivity plangtgt Extension of SionPanvel expresswaygtgt Boosting of NH 4B Amra Marg and SH54gtgt Metro connectivity between CSM International Airport and NMIAgtgt Nerul Passenger Water Transport Terminalgtgt Mumbai Trans Harbour Link MTHLgtgt Coastal road connecting MTHL and NMIAProject 2Water Transport NerulThe passenger water terminal in Nerul is readyThe work of the Nerul passenger water terminal is completed in all aspects and has been lying ready for passenger transport operation to be undertaken by the Maharashtra Maritime Board since last year It is hinted that the service may become operational by 2024 It is being developed as part of the Eastern Waterfront project under the central governmentrsquos inland water transport development policy CIDCO has completed its part by constructing a jetty at Nerul and a marina at Belapur with the project cost estimated at around R150 crore The passenger water terminal will significantly reduce the travel between Navi Mumbai and South Mumbai and between Navi Mumbai and the Konkan regionKey featuresgtgt Passenger facilitiesgtgt Reduce stress on roads rlysgtgt Catamarans and speedboatsProject 3Kharghar Golf CourseThe golf course at KhargharCIDCO has already started work to make the golf course in Kharghar of international standards and increase the number of holes from 11 to 18 The new course is expected to be operational in the new year The project cost is estimated at Rs 5035 crore The golf course will allow Navi Mumbai to hold a prestigious place in the golfing world and raise the living standards of residents of the city Once developed a private operator will take over the golf course for for a predetermined periodProject Includesgtgt Club Housegtgt Fivestar hotel aptsvillasgtgt A golf academyProject 4Transit Oriented housingCIDCO is planning to launch a new housing scheme under the Pradanmantri Awas Yojana PMAY for economically weaker sections and lowerincome groups The scheme is based on the concept of lsquoTransit Oriented Developmentrsquo Under this scheme tenements will be developed near bus depots the truck terminal and railway station areas to reduce travel time and expenses This will also encourage the use of public transportProject 5Bamandongri Railway StnThe passenger water terminal in Nerul is readyThe 27kmlong NerulSeawoodsUran Rail Corridor being developed by CIDCO will have 10 railway stations and is being developed in two phases The first phase 12 km consists of the following route SeawoodsKharkopar and BelapurSagarsangam Of the five stations proposed in the first phase Seawoods Sagarsangam Targhar Bamandongari and Kharkopar the work of two has been completed Work on Targhar station and Gavan station will be completed by mid2024Project 6Two bridges by MSRDCTo reduce traffic congestion on the SionPanvel highway two new bridges of three lanes each are under construction near the Vashi creek Once operational by the third quarter of 2024 they are expected to ease vehicular movement during peak hours The project has been undertaken by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation MSRDC at an estimated cost of Rs 775 croreFuture CIDCO projects in pipelineNAINA Other projects NAINACIDCO has started work towards future sustainable development in NAINA notified areas of 371 sq km on land from Thane and Raigad districts This would restrict haphazard development around NMIA The draft town planning infrastructure plan for TPS 2 to TPS 7 is already ready and work on the draft for TPS 8 to TPS 12 is underwayKhargharTurbhe Tunnel RoadCIDCO is proposing to construct a tunnel road linking Turbhe to Parsik Hill which will provide direct access to the proposed International Corporate Park ICP Kharghar The 549 km stretch would ease traffic congestion on the SionPanvel Highway and is expected to reduce the travel time between Vashi and Kharghar by 15 minutes The CIDCO board had in September 2023 approved the project at a cost of Rs 3166 croreCoastal Road for new airportConnectivity to the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport will be made easier via the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link MTHL the Mumbai Coastal Road and the connector to the MTHL The NerulBelapurKharghar Coastal Road along with the connector and a new pathway from the Amra Marg Panvel creek are all at various stages of progress Another jetty has also been proposed closer to the new airport Interestingly the entire elevated road connecting to the terminal has been barricadedInternational Corporate Park BKC 2The work on the centre of excellence project ICP BKC2 in Kharghar has already started BKC2 will take shape in a systematic phased manner over the next few years It is set to become the future commercial educational and residential hub with entertainment sporting and other social infrastructure having state of art connectivity ldquoWe have already undertaken expansion work of the golf course and a huge football ground is within the proximity of BKC2 Also educational institutions like NMIMS have already started operationrdquo said a CIDCO officialMultilane expansionOther infrastructure connectivity projects include the multilane expansion of the SionPanvel Highway excluding bridges till the Expressway and an extension of Palm Beach Road to UlweUran and the Eway The 1350 km DelhiMumbai Expressway will end at Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust JNPT The 1504 km Western Dedicated Freight Corridor connecting Dadri in Uttar Pradesh near Delhi with JNPT will help transport freight at higher speed with increased loadcarrying capacity The 126kmlong VirarAlibaug Multimodal Corridor connecting to JNPT will support mega projects and reduce traffic congestionFuture Metro linesWhile the 1110 km Metro Line 1 CBD Belapur to Pendhar Taloja was opened to the public in November 2023 talks are on for other Metro projects at initial stages which may include proposed Metro Line 2 which is elevated between Taloja MIDC to Khandeshwar 712 km Metro Line 3 which is elevated between Taloja MIDC to Pendhar 387 km extension of Line 1 and Metro Line 4 which is elevated and underground between Khandeshwar to Navi Mumbai Airport 417 km extension of Line 1 Also a Metro line is proposed to connect Pendhar to Kalyan