The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation plans to approach the Centre directly for the viability gap fund (VGF) for the Versova-Bandra sea link,with the VGF for the Worli-Haji Ali sea link already the subject of a tussle between the NCP-controlled MSRDC and the Congress. The state government had asked the corporation to manage the Rs 1,392-crore VGF for the Worli-Haji Ali link on its own,though the contract says the state has to pay. Earlier,during the construction of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link,the government was to give Rs 300 crore to the corporation. We have appointed consultants for Versova-Bandra sea link,and are in the process of finalising the documents and a detailed feasibility report. When we are ready with the documents. in about two months,we will surely approach the Centre for the VGF, MSRDC vice-chairman and managing director Sonia Sethi said. A senior official said,Now with the Versova-Bandra arm of the Western Freeway project in the planning stage,it would be right to seek VGF from the Government of India. Parsons Brinckerhoff Consulting,the consultants,will carry out a detailed evaluation to determine if the land along this stretch is conducive to the construction of huge structures. The proposed 10.1-km stretch is expected to cost around Rs 3,000 crore. An MSRDC study said around 50 per cent of the traffic towards South Mumbai originates from suburbs beyond Bandra. The corporation feels the suburban traffic need not go on to city roads like SV Road and Western Express Highway once the Versova-Bandra sea link is constructed. Minister for Public Works and MSRDC chairman Jaydutt Kshirsagar,meanwhile,said the state government would have to give the VGF for the Worli-Haji Ali sea link,which has been awarded to a Reliance Infrastructure-led consortium. There is no issue. The government is bound by the contract to give the VGF,and it will. Sethi said the VGF issue was being negotiated between the MSRDC and the government. The government has to pay the VGF as per the contract; now which arm of the government pays the money is a matter of discussion. The money will be given to the concessionaire on time and there will be no delay due to this.
