12 September,2024 12:35 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
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Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis attended the inauguration of one of the two arch bridges connecting the Mumbai Coastal Road and the Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL). The other connector - the last part of the southbound arm of the Mumbai Coastal Road - may take three to four more months to be completed.
Ajit Pawar, who is also a deputy CM, however, skipped the event, leading to speculations in the political circles. When asked about Pawar's absence, Fadnavis said, his cabinet colleague was busy at another event and there is no other reason for him missing the event.
"There is no issue. Dada is at another event. He spoke to me and the Chief Minister earlier and informed us not to worry. He said he will be taking this road soon," clarified Fadnavis, when reporters asked him over Pawar's absence.
This is not the first time when Pawar had skipped an event with Shinde and Fadnavis. Last month, when CM Shinde and Fadnavis visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, Pawar's conspicuous absence had led to speculations in the political circles.
The Dharmveer Swarajya Rakshak Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj Coastal Road will ease the traffic congestion in South Mumbai and save time, fuel and reduce noise and air pollution, said CM Eknath Shinde, adding that the Maharashtra government is trying to make Mumbai pollution-free and free of traffic jams, along with the development of roads and bridges.
Besides CM Shinde and his deputy Fadnavis, Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar, Mumbai Suburban Guardian Minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha, legislator Sadanand Sarvankar, Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Iqbal Singh Chahal, Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Eastern Suburbs) Dr Amit Shah was also present for the inauguration.
"Mumbai is a city of international standards and thousands of tourists come here from all over the country and world. Mumbai is developing at a fast pace. In the next two years, all roads in Mumbai will be made of cement concrete, after which Mumbaikars will experience pothole-free travel. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's is conducting an intensive cleanliness drive. This campaign has been beneficial in reducing pollution also. The Koli-Agri brothers are originally from Mumbai. Considering their demands seriously, the coastal road project is being expedited," said CM Shinde, while speaking to the media during the inauguration ceremony.
Deputy CM Fadnavis said, "The municipal corporation deserves praise for the coastal road. So far, 92 per cent of the work has been completed and the remaining work will be completed soon."
The northbound (Chowpatty to Worli-Bandra) traffic will commence from the southbound (827 m) bridge connecting Bandra-Worli Sea Bridge, making it possible to travel directly from Shamaldas Gandhi Marg (Princess Street) to Bandra in the north direction. The bridge will be available for single northbound traffic from 7 am on Friday. It will be operational from 7 am to 11 pm every week from Monday to Friday. Traffic will be closed for two days on Saturday and Sunday to complete the remaining work of the project, BMC said.
The first beam (bow arch string girder) connecting Mumbai coastal road and Bandra-Worli sea bridge was installed on April 26 while the second beam on the approach road to Bandra-Worli Sea Bridge was installed on May 15.
The 10.58-kilometre Mumbai Coastal Road includes infill roads, bridges, elevated roads as well as interchanges at Amarsons, Haji Ali and Worli. Also, two separate underground twin tunnels of 2 km length each have been constructed for manning traffic. One tunnel will have six lanes while the other eight. These tunnels have the state-of-the-art Saccardo ventilation system which is being used for the first time in India. There are also a total of 10 intersecting tunnels connecting the two tunnels as an emergency measure. The project is spread over 70 acres of land.
