'Major hurdles cleared for Mumbai Coastal Road project extension to Virar'

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday said that all major hurdles in the Mumbai Coastal Road project which is planned to extend up to Virar in Palghar district have been cleared and work on the extension will begin soonCurrently the coastal road stretches from Marine Drive in South Mumbai to Worli connecting to the BandraWorli Sea Link In future phases it will extend to Versova and ultimately to Virar which is a part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Once completed the travel time from Nariman Point to Virar is expected to reduce to just 35ndash40 minutesldquoAll approvals related to the Coastal Road project including land acquisition transfer of saltpan lands and clearances from the Coastal Regulation Zone Environment Ministry and Forest Department have been securedrdquo Goyal saidSpeaking after chairing a highlevel review meeting in Mumbai the Union Commerce Minister said the project would now move ahead rapidlyThe minister who is a Lok Sabha Member of Parliament MP from the North Mumbai Constituency added that he has been actively following up with state and Central authorities to ensure progressldquoThe project will benefit not only North Mumbai residents but the entire city and tourists Future extensions are planned up to Dahisar and Virarrdquo he saidVarious development works in North Mumbai were reviewed during the meeting which was attended by senior officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA Thane and Mumbai Suburban district collectors Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority MHADA public works department and the policeGoyal also shared updates on two other key infrastructure projects He said that while work on the MadhVersova Bridge has been expedited the BorivaliThane tunnel project construction is expected to start within two monthsMeasures will be implemented to ease congestion on the Western Express Highway including restrictions on heavy private vehicles he addedAccording to Goyal 108 Mumbai Metro construction vehicles and garbage transport trucks will carry identifiable signboards and strict action will be taken against unauthorised vehicles using fake municipal identifiers Three major traffic choke points on the highway have also been identified and will soon be addressed he informedGoyal added that 10 lakes in North Mumbai will be rejuvenated through desilting cleaning and beautification under a publicprivate partnership model Regarding the water shortage complaints in Gorai and Charkop inspections of pipelines have been completed and repair and pressureimprovement measures are underway he saidOn sanitation the minister stated that 79 ldquopay and userdquo public toilets will soon become operational with upkeep managed by private agenciesHe also directed officials of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority and BMC to blacklist developers who fail to hand over flats or occupancy certificates on time and bar them from future projectsGoyal further warned that strict legal action will be taken against encroachment and mangrove destruction including actions against truck drivers involved in illegal dumping or reclamation and municipal officers would be held accountable if garbage heaps are found in North MumbaiWith PTI inputs