Mumbai, April 25:

Metro Dream

• Phase I of the Mumbai Metro includes three corridors: Colaba-Charkop (38.24 km), Versova-Ghatkopar (11.56 km) and Bandra-Mankhurd (12.8 km). It could take the MMRDA approximately eight years to complete this phase • The master plan comprises six other corridors: Charkop-Dahisar (7.5 km), Ghatkopar-Mulund (12.4 km), Bandra-Kurla Complex-Kanjur Marg via airport (19.5 km), Andheri (East)-Dahisar (East) (18 km), Hutatama Chowk-Ghatkopar (21.8 km), Sewri-Prabhadevi (3.5 km) Meanwhile at Veera Desai Rd.. A Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) report has lashed out heavily against MMRDA’s concretisation of about 300 ft of the 1 km-long tree-lined Veera Desai Road. The report by senior Botanist and Vice-President of BNHS, Dr M R Almeida, states that as ‘‘concrete has been poured right up to the base of the trees, giving the roots no space to breathe,’’ the trees—mostly massive-canopied rain trees—‘‘are likely to die’’. Submitted on Friday to the MMRDA commissioner along with a letter opposing the cutting of trees on the road, the report has asked that the work be corrected immediately. ‘‘We haven’t heard from the MMRDA yet,’’ said Isaac Kehimkar, public relations officer of the BNHS.

THE process to build Mumbai Metro has begun.

A week after Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told Newsline that he had cleared the project, the Mumbai Metropolitan and Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has started inviting bids.

Once the bidder is selected, in the coming months, work will begin on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor.

Dr T Chandrashekhar, additional metropolitan commissioner and project director of Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)—Metro Rail falls under this city improvement plan—said they decided to begin work on this line to ease traffic on the east-west corridor.

‘‘Plus, because all stations on this route will be elevated, it will be easier,’’ said Chandrashekhar.

‘‘If all goes well, work should start by the end of the year.’’ The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will act as a consultant to MMRDA and the Metro will be constructed—at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore—on a build, operate and transfer (BOT) basis.

Once work starts, bids will also be invited for the 38.24-km Colaba-Mahim-Charkop line, the largest corridor in the project.

‘‘The state and Central Government will be equity share holders with 26 per cent equity in the project,’’ said Chandrashekhar. ‘‘It will take around 15 years to execute the entire plan (see box),’’ he added.

Chandrashekhar also explained that roads were being widened across the city to accommodate the Metro.

The elevated rail will require approximately 11-metre-high pillars, which will be constructed on the 2-metre wide central dividers.

‘‘For this,’’ said Chandrashekhar, ‘‘the road should have a width of 45 metres so that vehicular traffic is not affected.’’

The underground lines will be built using micro-tunneling—workers will burrow their way underground through tunnels and the surface of the roads will not be dug.

Chandrashekhar also clarified that travelling on the Metro won’t be an expensive affair. The project, he said, aimed at easing congestion in trains and buses.

‘‘So, it’s obvious that prices will be almost the same,’’ he said. ‘‘It could be somewhat marginally higher but not unaffordable.’’

umaupadhyaya@expressindia.com