20 April,2009 08:04 AM IST | | Shashank Rao
The trial of Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab at the Arthur Road jail has not only inconvenienced Mumbaikars, but has also put the Rs 2,460 crore-monorail between Jacob Circle and Chembur via Wadala in a fix.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) started work on the 19.54 km-long monorail at Wadala and Chembur, but work has stopped at Jacob Circle because the road has been closed in view of the trial.
P R K Murthy, chief, Transport and Planning, MMRDA, said, "We are waiting for permissions from the traffic department at Jacob Circle. The Qasab trial is a minor reason, but we should get an ok soon."
However, Sanjay Barve, joint commissioner, Traffic, said, "Who said that permission has not been granted? Ask the MMRDA to recheck?"
Usually, the MMRDA starts work on both the ends apart from other areas in the alignment to ensure faster completion. Another senior MMRDA official said, "We were supposed to begin work on both ends, but now expect to receive permission only after April because of the elections."
What is a monorail?
It is a smaller version of the metro rail and can carry 15,000 passengers per hour one way. A four-coach
monorail has the capacity to transport about 600 passengers at one go. The cost of constructing the monorail is Rs 80 crore per km. It is built in areas that are congested and where commuting is a problem.
Similar systems have been constructed in Chongqing, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
