Following a seven-year delay by MSRDC in finalising a bidder for the Rs 1,200-crore Inland Passenger Water Transport (IPWT) project along the west coast of Mumbai, the Maharashtra government is now planning to entrust the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) with a similar project along the east coast.
An MMRDA official, on condition of anonymity, said that a high-powered government committee has decided to hand it over to the authority following MSRDC's delay in implementing the west-coast IPWT project.
The final decision, however, will be taken by the cabinet.
The state government had chosen the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) for undertaking the west coast IPWT project, which envisages the construction of passenger water transport terminals at six locations along the western waterfront of the metropolis.
"The second part of the project, to be set up along the east coast of the city, is likely to go to another agency as was discussed in one of the meetings of the government's high-powered committee. But the final decision is yet to be taken by the Cabinet," MSRDC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Sonia Shetty told PTI here today.
MSRDC had first invited bids for the project in 2003. "It has been almost eight years since MSRDC has been given this project. But due to certain technical challenges, the project has been delayed," she said.
Shetty said that the corporation had extended the deadline for the bids, issued recently, till June 21.
The west coast project envisages the construction of passenger water transport terminals at Nariman Point, Bandra, Juhu, Versova, Marve and Borivali. Charkop would have a maintenance and repair station.
The terminals would be used by catamarans and hovercrafts with a 300-passenger capacity and speed that is higher than 30 knots. The frequency of the vessels would be 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours, and 30 minutes at other times.
The winning bidder would get 30 years to recover the investment and earn profits. After that, the MSRDC would start operating the waterway.
