Maharashtra cabinet approves Metro project to link Mumbai, Navi Mumbai airports

The Maharashtra Cabinetrsquos Infrastructure Committee on Tuesday approved a 35kilometre Metro Line 8 also known as the Gold Line connecting Mumbairsquos Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport CSMIA with the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport reported the PTIThe project is estimated to cost over Rs 22000 crore with a total outlay of Rs 22862 crore according to a statement from the Chief Ministerrsquos OfficeThe corridor will feature 20 stations including six underground and 14 elevated stations Land acquisition for the project is expected to cover 307 hectares costing around Rs 388 croreThe 35km route will include 925 km underground from Mumbai Airport Terminal 2 to Ghatkopar East while the remaining 2463 km will be elevated stretching from Ghatkopar West to Navi Mumbai Airport Terminal 2 on the Metro Gold LineDeadlines set for approvals constructionChief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed that all land acquisition and necessary approvals be completed within six months and that construction should be finished within three years of receiving approvals according to the PTIOther infra projects fasttrackedThe committee also instructed concerned departments to accelerate the extension of the Samruddhi Expressway on the NagpurGondia and BhandaraGadchiroli routes ensuring that projects do not face delays as per the PTIIn preparation for the upcoming Kumbh Mela the committee approved the Nashik city ring road project spanning 6615 km at a cost of Rs 3954 croreHighway upgrade in GadchiroliAdditionally the panel cleared the upgrade of the 8576km Navegaon MoreKonsariMulcheraHedriSurjagad highway in Gadchiroli district into a fourlane cement concrete road aimed at improving mineral transportationEV charging stations to be mandatory at MSRTC fuel outletsSoon Electric vehicle EV charging stations will be made mandatory at Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation MSRTC fuel outlets in the state Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik said on Tuesday reported the PTIThe Maharashtra minister asked officials to give priority to setting up EV charging stations at all proposed retail fuel outlets on MSRTC land in the stateAccording to the PTI he said that a phased shift to electric buses is already in progress The directions were issued during a highlevel meeting chaired by the minister who also heads the MSRTCEcofriendly transport systemSarnaik said Indiarsquos journey towards becoming a developed nation by 2047 must be supported by a sustainable and ecofriendly transport systemldquoFuture travel will be based on electric energy and the ST Corporation is committed to building the required infrastructure from today itselfrdquo he said reported PTIAcknowledging that nearly 90 per cent of the existing ST fleet currently runs on diesel Sarnaik said a phased transition to electric buses is underway and that ebuses will be prioritised in future procurementsldquoEV charging stations will be made mandatory alongside diesel and CNG facilities at fuel pumps to be established on MSRTC land through the publicprivate partnership PPP model This approach will not only create a steady source of revenue for MSRTC but will also ensure the availability of both conventional fuel and electric charging facilities at a single locationrdquo he said reported PTISarnaik added that the availability of both conventional fuel and electric charging facilities at a single location would give a major boost to the future transport systemldquoThis is not just a matter of convenience but a visionary step towards environmental protectionrdquo the minister saidwith PTI inputs