CM Fadnavis gives nod to big infra projects.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has approved in-principle some big infrastructure projects to be completed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). These include the proposed Worli-Haji Ali Sealink and augmentation of capacity of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Mr. Fadnavis has also given his nod to the plan for establishing MSRDC India International to expand the corporation's activities outside of Maharashtra and India.

Meanwhile, the MSRDC, in a presentation made before the CM, has revealed that its activities have come to a standstill owing to the lack of new approvals to projects in the past three years and compulsion to take on unviable projects.

In a review of MSRDC in the presence of senior officials in Mantralaya recently, joint director of MSRDC Suresh Ramchandani made a detailed presentation before Mr Fadnavis and informed him that MSRDC’s activities had come to a halt owing to many reasons.

These included no new approvals in the last three years and negligible budgetary support for completed projects such as IRDP (Integrated Rural Development Programme) and ROBs (Railway Overhead Bridges). As such, the government subsidiary had been forced to take up unviable projects with astronomical amounts due to the state government and other agencies.

In the end, Mr Fadnavis pledged full support to MSRDC, later giving in-principle approval to projects like the Worli-Haji Ali Sealink and capacity augmentation of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.

The proposed 3.4-km Worli-Haji Ali Sealink was stalled as Reliance Infrastructure, which had bagged the contract for constructing the cable-stayed bridge, could not achieve financial closure.

Speaking to The Asian Age, Mr. Ramchandani said, 'The CM was informed about future plans of the MSRDC and specific projects that need to be approved. Also, a request was made for formation of a cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure as early as possible so that out pending projects could be cleared at the earliest.'

On the proposed sealink project, he said that Worli to Haji Ali already had a coastal road, however, if someone in Bandra had to reach Haji Ali, he/she would prefer to use the sealink instead of taking inner roads. 'For that reason, it is a good option, but that too, subject to final approval of the cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure,' he said.

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