[Jai]

Hanging sealink seeks Centre aid

DNA Epaper 22 Apr

Work on the Worli-Nariman Point link may start next year
Rajshri Mehta



If everything goes well, construction of the 15-km north-south bridge from Worli to Nariman Point may start by next year.

In a bid to give impetus to what is now known Western Freeway Sea Link, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) recently requested the Centre to sanction up to Rs 1,100 crore to make Rs 3,700-crore project economically viable.

The corporation has asked the two shortlisted bidders – Anil Ambani’s Reliance Energy which has teamed up with South Korean company Hyundai consortium, and Malaysian firm Gamuda – to submit their bids. The bidders have already submitted the design parameters. MSRDC hopes to scrunitise their bids and select one in the next few months.

Interestingly, the much-delayed project – an extension to the ongoing BWSL – was expect ed to begin last year. But it got delayed as MSRDC got environment clearance late from the Centre and it had not finalised the route.

There was a plan to construct a flyover connecting Peddar Road to the Worli bridge, but now it is proposed to be constructed separately If the Centre gives assistance to only .

20 per cent (in this case about Rs 700 crore) of the project cost, this will be the highest amount sought for an infrastructure project to be constructed on Build-Operate-Transfer basis. Unlike the proposed Nhava Sewa to Sewree link, the Worli to Nariman Point link will be the only sea bridge where Centre’s assistance has been sought. The third 4-km sea bridge between Bandra and Worli is being constructed on contract.

Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is the financial support provided by the Centre to infrastructure projects when the bid amount quoted by private parties fall short of the project cost. MSRDC has sought VGF under the public-private partnership scheme of the Centre and the Jawaharlal National Urban Renewal Mission for infrastructure projects.

A senior MSRDC officer said: “The lack of financial viability usually arises due to our inability to increase user charges (toll) to commercial levels and the long gestation period for private companies to recover the construction cost which are usually high for infrastructure projects.” In the Western Freeway link, which would be constructed with private participation, the successful bidder can levy toll for 35 years after he constructs the bridge in 5 years. The alignment runs over major bridges keeping the shoreline at about 150 m from Worli Hill and thereafter across the bay up to Nariman Point. The proposed project starts from the take-off point at Worli end of BWSL at Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road and finally connects to the Netaji Subhash Bose Road near NCPA.