Civic body is set to sell off two plots in prime commercial space, which were reserved for a rail link between Bandra and Kurla
Civic body is set to sell off two plots in prime commercial space, which were reserved for a rail link between Bandra and Kurla
The MMRDA's plan of doing away with a proposed suburban railway line between Bandra and Kurla (see box) may get it a windfall of a whopping Rs 700 crore through the sale of two station plots reserved for the line in E and G blocks of the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC).
The plots, measuring a total of 5,000 sq m, are in the heart of one of the city's prime business districts and, judging by the market rate of commercial property in BKC, are expected to command a minimum reserve price of Rs 500 crore during their auction.
"Scarcity of land has been forcing builders to quote high prices and it wouldn't be wrong to say that the MMRDA will get at least Rs 700 crore for the plots," said a real estate expert. The development authority says it will use the money to bolster other infrastructure projects in the city.
However, while the MMRDA contends that the local railway line is not needed anymore because Bandra and Kurla will be connected through the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd Metro corridor, its plan of scrapping the line is not without its opponents.
Transport experts and activists feel that having a railway line between the two places will be of great relief to commuters and will also be easier on their pockets compared to travelling in the Metro.
When MMRDA invited objections and suggestions to its plan of scrapping the line through newspapers, one of the first to raise his voice against it was RTI activist and founder of Kurla-based NGO Athak Seva Sangh, Anil Galgali.
'Economical'
Speaking to MID DAY, Galgali said, "I don't know why the MMRDA wants to cancel the proposal for the crucial railway line, which I think is needed because it is much more economical than the proposed Metro that will pass through BKC. If the railway line comes into existence, it will benefit commuters because the cost of travelling between the two places will be Rs 4 compared to the minimum of Rs 12 it would be in the Metro."
Hearing
A public hearing for the objection raised by Galgali's NGO was held by the MMRDA on May 30 which saw the authority's Chief of Transport and Communication P R K Murthy in attendance.
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During the hearing, MMRDA officials reasoned that there was no need for the line as the Metro corridor would pass through the BKC.
Galgali, however, was not happy with MMRDA's response and has written to CM Prithviraj Chavan, the Urban Development Department and the Chief Secretary as he feels that the MMRDA is doing away with the line to make money through the plots' sale.
"MMRDA wants to favour some people by selling the plots in the commercial market and is not at all concerned about the benefit that commuters will derive from the line," alleged Galgali.
Transport expert Jitendra Gupta agreed with Galgali's contention that the railway line would benefit commuters immensely.
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The red circles mark the proposed sites of the stations for the Bandra-Kurla railway line at BKC
"Travelling between Bandra and Kurla by road is a daunting task as rickshaws and taxis refuse to ferry commuters all the time.
A railway line would solve this problem and be a better solution than the Metro as its tickets would be cheaper. Scrapping the line will be a big drawback for commuters."
PIL in the offing?
Galgali said he will approach the courts if the MMRDA goes ahead with its decision. "I will wait for the final decision from the Government of Maharashtra. If they decide to scrap the line, I will file a PIL in the High Court."
Line details
The plan of having a railway line between Bandra and Kurla has been in the pipeline since 1995. As per the original plan, the proposed line would be 7-km long.
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It would start from the Bandra station on the Western Railway, pass via BKC and meet Kurla station on the Central Railway.
Present status
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After hearing all the objections and suggestions, MMRDA will prepare a report that will be forwarded to the Urban Development Department. The final decision will be taken after that.
The Other Side
Justifying MMRDA's stand, its Joint Project Director, Dilip Kawatkar, said, "The reason behind inviting objections and suggestions for scrapping the proposed Bandra-Kurla local railway line is that the Metro II line (Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd) will connect these areas and the railway line is not needed anymore."
Asked to respond to the allegation that the MMRDA was doing away with the line only to make money through the sale of the BKC plots, Kawatkar said, "We will earn more that Rs 700 crore from selling the land, which will be used for the upcoming and ongoing infrastructure projects in Mumbai that have been planned for commuters.
So, saying that the MMRDA is scrapping the line to earn money would be wrong."
Speaking to MiD DAY, Western Railway's Chief PRO Sharat Chandrayan said, "We don't have any proposal to connect Bandra and Kurla through a railway line at present."
(With inputs from Varun Singh)
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