3-tier flyover to be developed soon

Mumbai: The Mumbai Chapter of the Builders Association of India has suggested to the State Government that a three-tier flyover can be built over the existing rail network to ease traffic congestion and improve civic amenities in the city.

The 8,000-member association has also forwarded its suggestion to the Railway Minister, Mr Lalu Prasad.

The Association Chairman, Mr Anand J. Gupta, said the three-tier flyover could be constructed between Bhayander-Churchgate and Victoria Terminus-Thane rail tracks. One of the tiers could accommodate an additional four-lane track and help the railways double its capacity. The second could be made a non-stop expressway with a diversion at every five km interval. The third tier could be for water pipelines, electrical cables, telephone cables and civic amenities.

This, Mr Gupta said, would do away with the hassles of land acquisition and the project completed in five years at about Rs 16,875 crore.

The amount is for developing a 45,000-metre stretch of the Western Railway and 30,000 metre of the Central Railway at Rs 15,000 a metre for the three tiers. A special purpose vehicle could be formed with the Railways, State Government and the Mumbai Corporation as stakeholders for execution of the project. The project could be on the lines of a BOT or else a revenue sharing arrangement could be worked out.

Alternatively, builders could be permitted to develop commercial spaces on certain locations along the stretch on the railway land, he said.

Mr Gupta said though the Metro Railway, Bandra-Worli Sealink, Multi-modal transport, Siwdi-NhavaSheva trans-harbour and Jogeshwari–Vikhroli projects were on, they would take time.