Metro on fast track.

The state government is fast-tracking the implementation of Metro projects in the city. After the foundation-laying ceremony for two Metro corridors between Dahisar and Andheri earlier this month, the government is gearing up to kick-start work on the other corridors.

Senior officials said the detailed project reports (DPR) of three corridors that are being prepared by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation are nearing completion and these corridors would be taken up next.

'The DPR for Bandra-Mankhurd stretch, which is part of Metro-II corridor, will be ready by October 31 and the DPRs of two other corridors namely, Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavali and Jogeshwari-Kanjurmarg are expected by December 31,' said Pravin Darade, Secretary Chief Minister’s Office.

The Metro-II (Dahisar-DN Nagar-Bandra-Mankhurd) corridor was initially planned as 32-km Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd corridor, but was shelved only to be later taken up in three phases by the Devendra Fadnavis-government.

Meanwhile, the DMRC is also working on the realignment of the portion of Metro-II corridor between DN Nagar and Bandra, which had faced a lot of opposition earlier. “They are completely changing the alignment on the route between DN Nagar and Bandra, which is likely to take some more time,” another official added.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the nodal agency for the projects, is in talks with various multilateral finance agencies to fund the corridors, which are estimated to collectively cost over Rs. 15,000 crore.

'Many global financial agencies are ready to fund the Metro projects, so funds are not an issue. We want to fast-track the projects, and ground-laying ceremonies for these three corridors can be done as early as January 2016,' said Darade.

FREE PRESS JOURNAL