State keen to construct next 2 routes of Metro overground, says chief secy

MUMBAI: The state government is in favour of an elevated corridor instead of an underground route for the Dahisar-Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd and Wadala-Thane-Kasarvadavli lines to reduce cost.
The erstwhile Democratic Front government wanted an subterranean corridor because of the adverse impact on traffic and locals during the construction phase. Both the projects came up for discussion in the “war-room meeting” called by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.“The CM is in favor of an elevated corridor to save money,” chief secretary Swadhin Khastriya said. MMRDA officials have said that building the Metro underground is three times costlier than the elevated option. “The cost of building an underground station is Rs 150 crore as against Rs 25 crore elevated station. An underground project is difficult to execute because contractors need land for tunnel boring machines,” a senior MMRDA official said. The 40-km Dahisar-Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd line was to be constructed underground. If it is built as an elevated corridor, then the proposal may face stiff resistance from residents in Bandra. “Constructing underground is difficult to execute because debris management will cause logistical problems. The shifting of utilities like sewerage lines and water pipelines will pose a huge challenge,” the official added.
The state has planned a bhoomipujan of the two projects before the year-end.
“The money saved from building the elevated corridor can help us in other capacity-expansion projects in parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region,” he added.