This is part of the plan after it has been made the special planning authority for the area adjacent to the expressway; It will use investors' money for future projects
With the cash-strapped Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) being made the special planning authority (SPA) of the area adjacent to Mumbai-Pune Expressway, it is now seen as strong competition to MMRDA, which is believed to be a good planning agency. Many infrastructure projects including Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link and water transport project on the east and west coasts of Mumbai which were originally planned by MSRDC, were transferred to MMRDA and other agencies with the belief that these agencies are better than MSRDC.
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With the SPA tag, MSRDC will develop growth centres on the expressway and its financial condition will improve further.
“Now that we have been made the SPA of the area adjacent to Mumbai-Pune Expressway (MPE), our area of work has expanded, and we will do the necessary and crucial improvements. Our planning has already begun,” said an MSRDC official.
The MSRDC, whose role was earlier limited to developing the road networks and constructing highways and expressways, will now be involved in planning and development of areas comprising 84 villages of Panvel and Khalapur Taluka of Raigad district, falling within 2 kms on either side of the MPE.
MSRDC, which will have its SPA office at Belapur Bhavan in Navi Mumbai, will be the place where all the planning activities will be done.
The MSRDC has plans to develop smart cities along the Mumbai-Pune Expressway where the investors can pump in money, and this revenue that is generated will be used by MSRDC to implement future projects.
“It was MSRDC which made the state’s first expressway and also the first sea link in this country, but still it was being given secondary treatment. There are projects like MTHL, and the inland passenger water transport project on the east and west coasts of Mumbai that we had planned, but due to certain political reasons the projects were handed over to other agencies though we are capable enough. Now that we have been made the SPA, it is through our work that we will prove what we can do,” said an MSRDC official.
The Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) had around 75 villages on the same stretch under its jurisdiction and so it had opposed the idea of MSRDC being made the SPA. It is also being said that there is opposition for the same from some villages.
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