Bridges & flyovers may have to make way for Thane metro
Thane:
The Wadala-Kasarwadavli Metro IV could bulldoze several existing and
proposed infrastructure projects along its route within Thane city
limits due to the reported lack of coordination between Mumbai
Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and local government
bodies.
The initial route map for the
metro shows that the railway alignment overlaps Thane Municipal
Corporation (TMC)’s five existing and two proposed foot over bridges at
various spots along the Eastern Express Highway (see box). The prime
cause of concern is that the map, accessed by TOI, does not highlight
the presence of four of these bridges, leaving the corporation to
interpret that these may have to be brought down or constructed
elsewhere to accommodate the metro line.
While
officials refused to comment on the fate of the bridges, they admitted
to awaiting communication on the issue. They said work on two approved
bridge projects on Ghodbunder Road has been frozen as “a precautionary
measure”.
Meanwhile, the issue of metro
overlapping with city infrastructure was also raised at the Thane
standing committee meeting on Wednesday where Shiv Sena corporator
Naresh Manera questioned why no information was being disseminated to
the stakeholders. “I have written to the municipal commissioner for
holding a coordination meet with MMRDA over the project. The metro
project is important but we need to know how it will impact the existing
and proposed developmental projects,” Manera said.
Activists
have trained their sights on the issue and questioned the lack of
coordination between the city and regional planning authorities. “It
will be interesting to find out if the bridges will be demolished or
will the metro line be elevated to salvage these FoBs. It looks as if
the lack of coordination between the MMRDA and TMC has failed, which has
resulted in a waste of money. There has to be one master plan for the
city, irrespective of the number of agencies executing it,” said
activist Sanjeev Datta from Thane. Route Number of stations, including
in Mumbai: Deadline Base project cost |
FOBs & flyovers on Wadala-Thane Metro route
|
32km 19,000cr 5 foot over bridges
Agency
| TMC 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 FOB at Raheja Complex, LBS Marg FOB at Louis
wadi, EEH FOB at Jupiter hospital, EEH FOB at Vihangs Inn, Ghodbunder Rd
FOB at R Mall, Ghodbunder Rd Proposed FOB at GB Road’s Bramhand jn
Proposed FOB beyond Waghbil on GB Rd Where | LBS Road at Raheja Garden,
EEH opp Jupiter Hospital, Louis Wadi, Ghodbunder Road opposite R Mall
& Vihangs
| In use flyovers planned beyond Waghbil
2 proposed FOBs
Where Ghodbunder Rd Agency | TMC | Plan frozen temporarily
3 flyovers at Ghodbunder Rd
When
contacted, Anil Patil, city engineer at the TMC, confirmed that there
has been no communication with the | Agency | MSRDC Where | Over
|
Shelved as MMRDA now mulls construction of an integrated structure with
elevated roadway and metro IV line Agency | TMC 1 2 8 7 6 3 Where | A
31km loop line passing through Thane city
| Reserved till metro alignment finalized Others:
Preliminary
civil work is on between L B S Road to Gaimukh, including survey,
geo-technical investigation, utility identification and test-piling Idea
is to understand quality of soil for erecting pillars to carry metro
rails. 480 spots will be dug up in Thane MMRDA team over the exact
alignment of the metro line that will pass through Thane and their
impact on the exis- ting infrastructure. Despite repeated attempts,
MMRDA spokesperson Dilip Kawathkar remained unavailable for comment.
