The tenders for the first phase of the much-hyped Coastal Road project will be issued by the Brihanmumbai municipal corporation (BMC) next month. The first phase, from Nariman Point to Bandra, includes construction of a tunnel and is likely to take two years.
“The process of issuing tenders for the first phase of the coastal road project is all but complete. We will inviting bids from international agencies for this important project,” said a senior civic official.
According to civic officials, the first phase work involves construction of a tunnel more than 5.6 km in length, which will run under the sea from Nariman Point to Priydarshini Park. It will proceed towards Mahalaxmi by reclaiming 1.3 km of land in the sea. From there another 1.7 km of road will be constructed from Baroda Palace, Worli, which will reach the Worli end of Bandra-Worli Sea Link.
The tunnel will be constructed with the help of bore machines and every day about 20-22 metre of digging will be carried out. As this is a specialised work, it is expected to take at least two years, he added.
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has already given a green signal for the coastal road by issuing a notification that allows the state to reclaim land for construction of the project. Following this, the BMC, the implementing agency, has expedited the project.
The civic body needs to submit the environment impact assessment report to the State and the Centre before starting the works.
The BMC has appointed M/s Frischmann Prabhu India as a consultant to review the Rs 12,000 crore coastal road project. The consultant needs to do peer review, evaluate draft detailed project report (DPR) and bid process management for the coastal road project. However, civic activists said they will continue to oppose the project. Godfrey Pimenta from the Watchdog Foundation said, “The project is basically for only a handful of people who use vehicles. But it will destroy the marine life near the city as well as the livelihood of the local fishermen community.”
