In a boost to the development of the proposed Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the state government has asked the urban development department (UDD) to expedite work on state support agreement (SSA) and toll notification for the project.
In a meeting of a high-powered committee on Friday, it was decided that Mumbaikars will have to pay a toll of Rs235 for cars, Rs350 for light commercial vehicles and Rs550 for heavy vehicles for one-way travel on the bridge.
The 22-km-long, six-lane sea bridge will have a 16.5km section in the sea and a 5.5km portion on land and connect Sewri in Central Mumbai to Chirle in Navi Mumbai. It will be the longest sea bridge in India and second in Maharashtra, after the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL).
A senior MMRDA official said that the state UDD had been asked to come out with the SSA and the toll notification soon. The official said that the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) board had passed a resolution to hand over land required for the project and added that it was awaiting the state government’s approval.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while speaking at an award ceremony in Mumbai on Saturday, indicated that the government will help expedite various state infrastructure projects, including the MTHL.
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has asked the MMRDA to increase the height of the sea bridge to 51 metres as it came in the way of its expansion project, the official said they were ready to increase it to just around 31 metres, which is roughly the height of a 10 storey building. “Otherwise, it will require major changes in the project,” he added.
The MMRDA will require around 125 hectares of land for the project. CIDCO will acquire 65.03 hectare, while 27.33 hectares will be acquired from Gavan, Jasai and Chirle villages, and 22.94 hectares will be needed for the casting yard. In addition to land on the mainland, the MMRDA also needs a 9.9-hectare right of way at the Mumbai end of the MTHL.
In the works
Mumbaikars will have to pay a toll of Rs235 for cars, Rs350 for light commercial vehicles and Rs550 for heavy vehicles for one-way travel on the bridge.
