Maharashtra partially ready to share BKC land

Mumbai: After the controversy over a piece of land in BKC, which was choosen for the bullet train project as well as International Financial Service Centre (IFSC), Maharashtra government has partially agreed to share the BKC plot.

It had proposed a land at Dharavi for the bullet train project and is also ready to share the BKC plot with a few conditions.

The state government insisted that the railways should check the viability of the option of the land at Dharavi. If the option is not viable then it would share the BKC land with a few conditions, an official from the urban development department said.  The state’s decision has come before Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe lay the foundation stone of the bullet train in Ahmedabad this month.

The conditions laid down by the Maharashtra government for the BKC plot include “0.9 ha land in the BKC would be given to the bullet train station provided it should not affect construction and economic activities of the IFSC. The land value should be included in the state’s share for the bullet train. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) should allot more 0.9 ha of land on the surface for entry, exit and air conditioning system of the bullet train station,” said a state government notification.

Earlier, the MMRDA had decided to tweak the direction of the bullet train at the upcoming BKC terminal so that the IFSC could come up at the same place.

The MMRDA had written a letter to the Centre asking to relocate the bullet train’s direction at BKC.

Both the projects are proposed to be built on the same venue, and hence the tussle for space was at its peak.

The Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train is Narendra Modi’s pet project. While the bullet train terminal will be built underground, the IFSC will have underground parking.

The state government is also confident to start the work of the IFSC from December this year.

The bullet train will have four stations in Maharashtra and will benefit Thane, Vasai-Virar, Boisar-Tarapur-Palghar belt.

The six hours journey between Mumbai and Ahmedabad of 508 km would be reduced to two hours.

Maharashtra government is investing 25 per cent, Gujarat government 25 per cent and the Railways 50 per cent for the construction of the bullet train. The speed of the bullet train would be 320 kmph.