Litigation pushes Mumbai Metro project cost up by Rs 1,000 crore

MUMBAI: Litigations have proved to be stumbling blocks for big-ticket projects in the city and they have led to cost escalations that have run into crores of rupees, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told the legislative council on Wednesday. He cited the example of Metro-III project which was delayed by nearly nine months due to litigations and as a result, its cost escalated by nearly Rs 1,000 crore.

Fadnavis made the statement while replying to NCP’s Rahul Narwekar who pointed out that several government projects, especially those related to city’s infrastructure development, were being delayed. Narwekar demanded that the government pass a legislation that puts a time cap on disposal of projects that are of of public importance and cost above Rs 100 crore.
“In case of the coastal road project, a group of residents from south Mumbai approached the court recently to get stay on the work. Litigations have also hampered work of other big-ticket projects in the recent past like the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link, Shivaji Smarak and the RoRo project,” Narwekar said.
Responding to Narvekar’s demand, the CM said he will refer it to the law and judiciary department to see if the government can come up with a solution without interfering with the powers of the court. “Apart from litigations, clearances too take a lot of time. It took close to two years and six sittings to get the central environment ministry’s nod for the coastal road project notification. We now have all the necessary permissions. The Centre has put a condition that there should be a dedicated corridor for public transport on the coastal road, and we have agreed to it,” the CM informed the council.
Transport experts have suggested that BEST buses get a dedicated lane on the coastal road and be exempted of toll. “This will encourage people to shift to public transport to travel along the south-north corridor and keep cars away,” said an expert.
Fadnavis has also been pitching for a common mobility card, which can be used for travel in locals, Metro, monorail and buses across Mumbai Metropolitan Region.