From a long-pending tree census to the construction of a commercial hub in Dahisar and a cable stayed bridge at Madh, the return of the general body of elected representatives to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after four years has brought several stalled infrastructure projects and policy initiatives back into focus.
Most of these projects were proposed and approved during the tenure of previous corporators but have remained in limbo since the elected body was dissolved, seeing little progress under the administrator-led regime.
In 2021, the BMC proposed constructing two commercial hubs on defunct octroi naka land parcels at Dahisar in the western suburbs and Mankhurd in the eastern suburbs. After the abolition of octroi in 2017, these lands were identified for redevelopment, primarily to keep long distance buses out of the city limits and reduce congestion on the Eastern and Western Express Highways.
The total project cost was pegged at over Rs 1,100 crore, with the Mankhurd hub estimated at Rs 240 crore and the Dahisar hub at around Rs 992 crore. However, the project has seen little movement over the past four years.
According to civic officials, the hubs are planned as transit and integration centres for long distance buses.
Vehicles arriving from Gujarat, Rajasthan and northern parts of the country are expected to terminate at Dahisar, while buses from Goa, Karnataka and Pune would be routed to Mankhurd.
Apart from easing traffic congestion, the hubs are also expected to reduce vehicular emissions and offer recreational facilities.
“These hubs will act as a port for the road transport network that will not only improve seamless travel but will also regulate emission,” an official told The Indian Express.
The BMC floated a tender for the project in 2024, but it failed to take off.
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“We had floated a tender, however the project couldn’t take off as we didn’t receive responses from an inadequate number of bidders. Once the standing committee is formed we aim to take their approval and re-tender it out,” the official said.
Long pending tree census
In 2021, the BMC launched a pilot tree census in D ward, covering Malabar Hill, Kemps Corner and Grant Road in south Mumbai, to assess the city’s tree population. The initiative was proposed by the BMC’s tree committee, which comprised elected representatives.
While a full-scale census was scheduled for 2022, it has yet to begin.
Mumbai continues to struggle with poor air quality, with experts attributing rising pollution levels partly to low tree density.
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The last full tree census was conducted in 2011, which recorded 29.75 lakh trees across the city.
Civic data shows that between 2018 and 2023, more than 21,000 trees were cut for infrastructure projects. In October last year, the Supreme Court also pulled up the BMC over poor afforestation rates.
Official figures indicate that transplanted trees in Mumbai have an average survival rate of just 20 per cent.
“The tree department has initiated a process to carry out a GIS survey of not only trees but also existing open and green spaces. This will be followed by another holistic survey that will be carried out to ascertain the number of trees in Mumbai. The reports for the initial pilot survey are ready and it will be submitted to the tree committee once it’s formed in BMC,” an official said.
Mrunaltai Gore flyover
The Mrunaltai Gore flyover, a key connector in the western suburbs, has remained incomplete for over five years. Construction began in 2019 and was scheduled to be completed by 2022. Civic officials have cited delays in relocating underground utilities and obtaining procedural clearances as reasons for the hold up.
The flyover is expected to link SV Road with Link Road and ease congestion in Goregaon, Andheri and Jogeshwari.
A recently elected BJP corporator from Goregaon said completing the flyover would be his priority.
“This project has been pending for many years and is the reason behind traffic choking not only at Goregaon but also at the nearby Ram Mandir and Andheri areas. Once the civic committee resumes I shall take this matter up with the administration,” the corporator said.
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Madh Versova cable stayed flyover
Another major pending project is the cable stayed flyover connecting Madh Island with Versova. Once completed, it is expected to reduce travel time from the current 45 minutes to an hour to around five minutes.
The project’s first tender was floated in 2019 but was later scrapped. It was refloated in March last year, with the estimated cost rising by 33 per cent to Rs 2,395 crore from the earlier Rs 1,800 crore.
Malad corporator Haider Ali Shaikh of the Congress said he would closely monitor the project now that the elected body has returned.
“The environmental clearances had come up only last year. Earlier when we had proposed for clearances, the government had suggested some changes in design and alignment, which further led to the cost escalation. Now that the permissions are in place, we intend to start the work at the earliest and complete it within the next five years,” an official said.
