Mumbai: With time running out for completing key infrastructure projects, the State government is looking for additional finances to give some much-needed impetus to them. Most of these projects are entering the bidding stage in the next two years.
At a meeting with senior government officers, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis asked them to explore avenues to increase resources for the Monorail, the Metro Railway and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) among 11 big-ticket development projects. He has also asked departments to put together a contingency plan in case more funds are needed.
Maharashtra accounts for 51% of the total investment in mega projects costing more than $30 million. Besides the projects in Maharashtra, others in the same category are slated to enter the bidding stage in the next two years. “The 11 mega projects in the Stgate will enter the bidding stage in 2017-2018 and will need a financial push. The focus of the meeting was on ways to support these projects,” a senior Finance Department officer said.
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Important projects discussed at the meeting included the Maharashtra Prosperity Corridor, MTHS, CST-Panvel Elevate Rail Corridor, Mumbai Coastal Link Road, Navi Mumbai International Airport, Nagpur and Pune Metro Railway, NAINA township near the airport, Mumbai Metro, Mumbai Chawl Redevelopment, Shivaji Memorial Project and irrigation projects at Gosikhurd, Lower Wardha and Bembla. “Much of the discussion also centred around issues related to the redevelopment of the BDD Chawls. The Chief Minister has directed that 2,950 houses be handed over to the Home Department for police housing. It’s up to the department to finalise modalities,” a government officer said.