Five months after its completion, Navi Mumbai Metro to get rolling sans ceremony

Almost five months past CIDCO officials had claimed they were all set to start the Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 the muchawaited project is set to begin operations today without any VIP inauguration The key project was scheduled to be inaugurated by the PM but it was cancelled twiceOn Thursday Chief Minister Eknath Shinde directed CIDCO to start operations from 3 pm today ldquoin the interest of residentsrdquo The state government had planned to invite PM Modi to inaugurate the Metro project but it was cancelled twice as the PMO didnrsquot give the green signal There were talks that Modi would visit Navi Mumbai to inaugurate the Metro Line 1 the BelapurUran railway line and Digha railway station The Metro will commence operations tomorrow and there is no confirmation yet from the chief minister or the Prime Ministerrsquos Office if Modi will inaugurate the remaining projectsAn artistrsquos impression of the Metro line in operationCM Shinde said in a statement ldquoThe most awaited Metro line will start operating from November 17 I congratulate Navi Mumbai residents I have ordered CIDCO officials not to wait for a formal inauguration and to put the convenience of residents as a priority The Metro line will bring muchneeded connectivity within the city and it will take forward the governmentrsquos resolution to spread the Metro network within the Mumbai Metropolitan RegionrdquoOn November 17 the first metro service will start simultaneously on both sides between Pendhar and Belapur Terminal at 3 pm The last service for the day will be run at 11 pm However from Saturday onwards the first service from both ends will run at 6 am with a 15minute gap between services The last service will be at 10 pm ldquoThe dream of Navi Mumbai residents has come true The Metro will provide a fast comfortable and environmentfriendly option of public transport to the residents This will provide the best connectivity option to the residents from the Taloja and Kharghar nodes The service will help transform Navi Mumbai into an international cityrdquo said Anil Diggikar vicechairman and managing director CIDCOOne of the new Metro rakes that would be pressed into service todaymidday has been reporting how the project launch has been delayed despite it being completed with all the clearances received in June ldquoEach and every thing is ready to workmdashthe ground staff housekeeping technicians even security guards have been already recruited and they are being paid too In fact the corporation is suffering losses since the projectrsquos inauguration has been delayedrdquo a senior CIDCO official had told midday earlier According to the official the Chief Ministerrsquos Office CMO had been informed about the development and CIDCO was waiting for the CMO to take a call regarding the inauguration There were then talks of PM Modi inaugurating the Metro line on October 30 However the launch was delayed againThe backgroundThe Navi Mumbai Metro Line 1 took 12 years to complete from the time of the groundbreaking ceremony by then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavhan on May 1 2011 The City and Industrial Development Corporation CIDCO urban planning body in Navi Mumbai had plans to complete the first line within 3 years and make it operationalHowever due to several delays caused by legal and technical issues the completion of the 111 km Navi Mumbai Metro with 11 stations en route took almost 12 years to complete Phase I of the Navi Mumbai Metro will connect CBD Belapur to Pendhar Its operation would play a significant role in improving Navi Mumbairsquos connectivity and in the expansion of the real estate market in the satellite city The construction of stations and other aspects of Line 1 was given to the San Jose ConstructoraMahavir RoadsSupreme Infra joint venture However the contract was cancelled by CIDCO and then to expedite the construction in February 2021 Maharashtra Metro Railway Corporation MahaMetro was roped inAfter 5 months MahaMetro was given the contract for operations and maintenance of Line 1 for the next 10 years at a cost of R885 crore plus taxes This gave a boost to the construction of the Metro line In October 2021 CIDCO received the CMRS Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety certificate to operate the Navi Mumbai Metro for a 54 km stretch from Pendhar to Central Park But CIDCO went ahead and completed construction of all 11 stations on Line 1 and applied for CMRS certification for the entire stretch Finally on June 31 2023 CIDCO officials announced that all the necessary approvals and certifications to run the Metro service had been received The Metro line has cost a whopping Rs 250 crore per kilometre taking the Line 1 cost to approximately Rs 2500 crore2011Year the groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held