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Mounting opposition has cast a shadow over the proposed Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ corridor. Will it delay the project?
Although there has been a big debate on a couple of issues concerning the project over the past few weeks, I do not see any uncertainty. The project is a must for the city of Mumbai and we are committed to execute it in time. Mumbaikars, who have to commute daily on the over-saturated suburban rail system, are aware that the city cannot survive and grow further without a massive expansion of its public transport system. In view of the inherent limitations to the capacity enhancement and spread of the suburban rail network, there is no alternative but to execute the Mumbai Metro master plan to overcome the overcrowding of local trains and exasperating traffic jams on roads. The tendering process for the civil works is in progress. We are pretty sure that all the issues will be satisfactorily addressed before the contractors are in place and the actual work starts in early 2016.
Now the government has announced to form a committee to look for an alternative site for a car depot due to opposition for Aarey colony. Do you expect realignment of the route or a new site?
The scope of the committee appointed by the state government includes reassessment of alternative sites suggested for the car depot. It does not necessarily entail change of alignment of the entire corridor. I must mention here that locating the car depot at Aarey was a conscious decision by the state government after assessing the merits and demerits of various options.
When do you think would the Metro-III project start, as the government has projected its completion by 2019-20? Will it go the Metro-II way?
In case of Metro-II, there were legal hurdles in conducting car depot operations at the land within the ambit of coastal zone regulation (CRZ) notification. In the current case, we are well within the legal framework. The land at Aery is neither in CRZ nor forest land. Tree cutting is legally permitted within the framework of the Protection of Trees Act.
The 30-hectare land needed for the depot accounts for only 2.33 per cent of the land belonging to the Aery colony and 0.25 per cent of the total green cover in that area known as the green lungs of Mumbai. Nevertheless, the concerns of environmentalists will be seriously looked into by the committee. I expect the actual construction to start early next calendar year.
The proposed corridor is underground. Is it feasible in a city like Mumbai? Do you think the project can be completed in a time-bound manner?
Underground Metro in the city like Mumbai is absolutely feasible. Mumbai is located in the Deccan trap with very good quality basalt rock. Tunnelling at 20 to 25 m below the ground in a rock like this with tunnel boring machines is very safe. The technology is tried and tested across the globe as well as in India. The stations will be done by using cut-and-cover method as well as the new Austrian tunnelling method. Experienced contractors and general consultants are being deployed for the project. Safety and disciplined construction activities will be given the top priority.
How will the project be funded? How Metro fares have been structured?
The cost of the project is Rs 23,136 crore. The majority of the funding is coming from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) as a soft loan with a repayment period of 30 years and a 10-year moratorium. The soft loan from JICA amounts to 57.2 per cent of the project cost and the rest would be contributed by the government of India and government of Maharashtra as their share of equity and subordinate debt. There is a small quantum of the stakeholders’ contribution as well as a grant from Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Agency.
Unlike Metro-I, the project at its inception, has been notified under the Metro Act by virtue of which Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) is the Metro Rail Administration and their role in fixing the initial fare is very clear. The initial fares will be fixed by MMRC on the lines of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) fares as specified in the detailed project report (DPR). In the year 2020 the fare would be in the range of Rs 11 to Rs 37. The Fare Fixation Committee will reassess and revise fares, if necessary, after every two years.
Can you provide details with regard to the rehabilitation of project-affected families, especially from Girgaon and Kalbadevi, and also other hutments? Political parties and residents are not yet convinced. Do you hope to bring them on board?
Doubts being raised at this moment largely pertain to rehabilitation, open spaces and the car depot location. We have already started communicating directly with the people, with correct information and with a view to clearing their doubts. They are being assured that their concerns have already been factored in while designing the project. Our rehabilitation policy has been publicly announced. Detailed planning will be undertaken to ensure that the legal occupants of private lands are rehabilitated in the same area.
We need to rehabilitate approximately 1,750 slum structures by giving alternative accommodation at nearby colonies as per the Mumbai Urban Transport Policy. We also need to rehabilitate about 777 legal occupants of private buildings. About 650 families from 26 buildings in Girgaon and Kalabadevi area also form part of this requirement. We intend to rehabilitate these families in the same area after fulfilling the requirements for the stations. We are in the process of appointing a consultant under the guidance of the state government. We assure that unless we work out a systematic plan for residents’ in situ rehabilitation with necessary approvals, no building will be demolished and no family will be evicted.
