On the bullet train terminal project at BKC
The tussle between the Indian Railways and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) over construction of the underground terminal for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) is not over yet.
Senior MMRDA officials believe that the Railways has not planned properly for the constructing the underground terminal.
“One cannot start the construction for the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) over the ground before and later come up with plans to construct the underground terminal. There should be proper comprehensive plans on how the tunnelling work will be carried out either after the work on IFSC is completed or even begun,” said a MMRDA bureaucrat not wishing to be named.
On Thursday, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced that both the IFSC and bullet train would be accommodated in BKC, stating that the underground terminal would not require any space above the ground.
“The IFSC is one of the most ambitious projects of the state government and we have to complete it within a definite timeline. With the speed at which Railways works, we cannot wait for them to prepare a plan and then submit it to us later. That will only delay the work of the IFSC,” the bureaucrat added.
However, Anil Saxena, public relations officer, Indian Railways, said, “These are all micro issues for a project like that of a bullet train. Our team will have a discussion on them and it is very pre-mature to comment on these micro issues at this stage.”
Meanwhile, the MMRDA has already floated tenders to appoint international consultants for the detailed layout master plan and urban design guidelines for the IFSC. “The only way out later could be the declaration of No Development Zones (NDZ) in the IFSC for carrying out the digging of tunnels for the bullet train terminal,” the official said.
The MMRDA had previously denied allotting land in BKC for the terminal saying that it funds the project from the revenue collected from its land and one cannot expect them to give it away.
The high-speed corridor will be an elevated one and the bullet train will ply at 300 km to 350 km per hour. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 98,000 crore, which could escalate further.
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is going to fund 81 per cent of the total amount as a loan to the government at the interest rate 0.1 per cent.
According to the initial plans, the bullet train was supposed to start at BKC and would have halts at Thane, Virar, Palghar, Vapi, Valsad and Ahmedabad.
