'Out of work' MSRDC wants projects outside state

The state-owned corporation's major projects are awaiting approval by the cabinet sub-committee; since they don't have much to do, authorities have written to the chief minister to allow them to take up work outside the state

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is not happy. Though it has many projects in the pipeline, most of them are in limbo, thanks to the lack of approval by the Cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure headed by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.

MSRDC has written to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, requesting permission to take up projects outside the state. File pic

Tired of twiddling their thumbs, officials from MSRDC have written to the CM, asking permission to take up work in other states. Confirming the same, an MSRDC official requesting anonymity said, “It has been many months now that our crucial projects like Bandra-Versova Sea Link, augmentation plan of the old Mumbai-Pune Highway, Inland Water Transport Project etc are yet to be okayed by the CM-headed Cabinet sub committee on infrastructure.

We don’t have much to do at present, and other states have approached us to take up assignments. So we have sent a proposal to the government, asking them to allow us to do so.”

MiD DAY had reported on how the CM had said that proposals for infrastructure projects worth Rs 8,000 crore were yet to reach him for perusal (CM Chavan says Rs 8,000-crore MSRDC project plans yet to reach him, September 1). While MSRDC had claimed that the documents from their end had been given, Chavan had told journalists that he was yet to receive them.

“MSRDC is capable of delivering mega projects like Mumbai-Pune Expressway, Bandra-Worli Sea Link. This is the reason other states and even some international companies are offering us assignments. The government should positively think about the same and give us the permission to work with them,” said another official.

Projects in limbo
A decision is yet to be made for six major projects:
Scrapping the contract with Reliance Infrastructure-Hyundai for the Rs 4,550-crore Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link
Constructing the Rs 4,045-crore Bandra-Versova Sea Link
Augmentation of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway at a cost of Rs 3,665 crore
The inland water passenger transport project for the eastern (Rs 440.47 crore) as well as the western coast (Rs 915 crore)
Converting the 700-km long Nagpur-Aurangabad-Sinnar-Ghoti-Mumbai route into a four-lane road.u00a0

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