THE MAHARASHTRA state cabinet on Wednesday decided to name Bandra-Versova Sealink after Hindutva ideologue Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The MTHL will be named Atal Bihari Vajpayee Smruti Shivdi Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, while the Bandra Versova Sealink will be named Swatantraveer Savarkar Sagari Setu, as per the decision of the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. “Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee took lot of effort to make India recognised internationally as a developed and strong nation. hence this decision was taken to salute his work,” an official said. In May this year, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced that the under-construction Bandra-Versova sea link will be named after Swatantrya Veer Savarkar. The decision came days after Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shared a letter he wrote to the CM on March 16, requesting to name Bandra-Versova Sealink after freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link (MTHL) after former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Bandra-Versova Sealink is being built by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) at a cost of Rs 11,332 crore. The sealink that will connect Bandra with Versova is expected to be completed by December 2026. The work of MTHL, being built by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), is 95 per cent complete. It will be opened for traffic by December 2023.
