In what could remove a big roadblock in the Versova Bandra Sea Link (VBSL), the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will soon finalise the bid to lease a 10-hectare plot for a casting yard.
The MSRDC had floated a tender for the same earlier this year, but after receiving only one bid, issued a fresh tender. Senior officials said this time, too, they have received only one bid, but will be finalising it.
“There are very few land parcels that fit the required criteria in the region. So the options are limited,” a senior MSRDC official said.
The MSRDC needs around 10 hectares of land, which needs to be within a 15-km radius from the actual structure planned in the sea. The Bombay High Court in April revoked the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority’s permission to set up a casting yard in Juhu, saying it was in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone guidelines. The decision was challenged in the Supreme Court, which upheld the High Court judgement.
While the MSRDC is planning to appeal the Supreme Court decision, officials said waiting for a favourable decision may backfire.
The MSRDC had appointed the consortium of Reliance Infrastructure- Astaldi S.p.A (Italy) to build the 17.17 km long sea link for a cost of ₹6,993.93 crore. The sea link will have exits at Bandra, Juhu Koliwada and Versova and will have a direct connection to the Bandra Worli Sea Link.
While, preliminary work started in October 2018, earlier this month piling work for the Bandra interchange started near Bandra reclamation.
The bridge is expected to be completed by 2023 and is projected to cater to 60,000 vehicles daily. The toll rate for cars from Bandra to Versova after the road is commissioned is pegged at ₹250. Once completed, the sea link is estimated to cut travel time between Versova and Worli to 15 minutes.
