Monorail gets green signal from M'bai body

The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) board has given its approval to the plan for constructing four monorail routes in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

The decision was taken in a meeting of the board chaired by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and attended by Mumbai Mayor Shubha Raul and other elected representatives from the MMR.

Besides easing pressure on the suburban train and bus networks, the monorail project is expected to provide the commuters a quick access to and dispersal from the suburban railway stations and bus depots.

The project is expected to cost around Rs 60 to Rs 70 crore per kilometre.

The MMRDA is expected to complete formalities like appointment of consultant, identifying areas required for station and depots and inviting expression of interest by March 2008.

Chief Metropolitan Commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad assured the board to complete the first line "" a 25-km route between Malbar Hill and Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) "" in two years' time.

The other routes include the 10-km long Chembur-Mahu- Gidwani Road-Govandi-Chembur, another 10-km long route between Lokhandwala Complex and Kanjurmarg and the 25-km Thane-Kalyan-Bhiwandi route.

Besides, the MMRDA board meeting also approved a plan to construct skywalks at 20 suburban railway stations in Mumbai, which will act as quick link for accessing and moving out of suburban railway stations.

The commuters will not have to find their way through the maze of rickshaws, taxies, BEST buses and street vendors.

The first such Skywalk will be developed at the Bandra station, providing east-west connectivity to commuters.

The tenders for this project have already been invited. The cost of this project is estimated at around Rs 600 crore. A provision of Rs 50 crore has been made this year in the MMRDA budget for the skywalk.