The Dutch government is all set to share its environment-friendly reclamation technology with the Maharashtra government to execute the State’s much-hyped and pending coastal road project in Mumbai.
The State government on Saturday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the government of Netherlands for the same. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte were present on occasion.
“It is well known that the Netherlands is a global expert in creating land and infrastructure in the sea. We have asked them to provide their expertise in this field with us,” said Mr. Fadnavis.
The coastal road project would be an integrated project which will include Metro line, existing fishing villages and green spaces, he said.
The project, which proposes a 35-km-long coastal road from Nariman Point in South Mumbai to Versova in the western suburbs, is estimated to cost Rs. 9,000 crore. However, Mr. Fadnavis said the cost may be revised as the project was delayed. While it is yet to get environmental clearance, it is speculated that the decision will be announced in the coming week.
Combining the coastal road project and the proposed Nariman Point-Bandra-Seepz Metro III involves a new road meandering along the coast and touching it where road and Metro connections need to be made to the existing infrastructure.
Advantages galore
The Dutch Prime Minister said that his country’s water experts have been working in various parts of the world. “We are delighted to do it here and to share our water expertise gained over centuries with Mumbai,” said Mr. Rutte. He added that taking all stakeholders on board for discussions would be part of the work, which would help in addressing the concerns of all parties.
Apart from cutting short travel time, the project offers several other advantages, the important one being it will serve as protection of the city against rising sea levels. The Detailed Project Report will be created in the next three months with the help of Dutch experts.
