With the Lok Sabha elections just a few months away, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has started clearing projects which were gathering dust for over a year now. Interestingly, these projects are moved by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is headed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). On Wednesday, Chavan cleared the Bandra-Versova Sea Link and Pune Ring Road projects, both estimated to be worth Rs14,453 crore. Observers feel that this move by the chief minister is an attempt to keep ally NCP in a good mood before the elections.
According to a source, the MSRDC will now be able to go ahead with the implementation and execution of the 10km-long Bandra-Versova Sea Link project by calling for tenders. The project, with an estimated price tag of Rs4,045 crore is an extension of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link. The plan is to erect the bridge 900 metres inside the Arabian Sea. The Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) had approved the project in January 2013.
The other big-ticket project, Pune Ring Road, is worth Rs10,408 crore. It will be around 170km long. Out of the entire projected price, Rs7,560 crore will be for the cost of construction and Rs2,848 crore is earmarked for land acquisition.
