mumbai

Updated: Nov 10, 2017 11:01 IST

The city’s much-awaited Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) project finally got a mega push on Thursday. The executive committee of the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) appointed three contractors for the Rs14,000-crore project.

The MTHL or Sewri-Nhava sea link aims to connect Mumbai with the mainland and is seen as an important project to decongest the city. The project is likely to be done by 2020-21.

The construction of the link has been divided into three parts. The first two parts are sea-bridge components, while the third is construction of a road up to Chirle in Raigad district. The first part has been awarded to L&T-IHI, the second has been given to Daewoo-TPL and the third to L&T again.

Officials said the contracts will be awarded by November-end and the work is expected to start next month. UPS Madan, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, said, “While major works will still take time, tasks like casting yard, boring and other smaller works will definitely start from next month.”

While the estimated cost by MMRDA for the three packages was Rs14,137 crore, the contracts have been awarded at Rs14,262 crore, senior officials said. “We have agreed that tax benefits will be provided by contractors as and when the rates are revised,” Madan added while referring to the changed rates after GST.

First mooted over three decades ago, the 22-km long MTHL is expected to reduce vehicular congestion in several parts of the city especially the arterial roads connecting south Mumbai with the eastern or central suburbs and the Sion-Panvel expressway.

Vehicles going to Navi Mumbai, Pune, Konkan and Goa will be able to cut their journey by directly going to Raigad through this sea link. Significantly, a major idea behind building MTHL is to decongest south Mumbai as several offices could be shifted to Raigad side with a the bridge connecting them with the island city.

The sea link will also bring Mumbai and Navi Mumbai closer and is also being built keeping in mind the upcoming international airport there.

The project has been on the drawing boards since 1980s and several attempts by state agencies have failed to make it a reality until now. When it was first mooted in the mid-1980s, its estimated cost was Rs350 crore.

After four failed attempts, the state has decided to construct the 22-km sea link with the help of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which will fund 80% of the cost.