Miles to go befoe MUTP-II materialises

MUMBAI, JAN 15: While the union cabinet gave its nod for setting up the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation MRVC on Wednesday, there is time ...

MUMBAI, JAN 15: While the union cabinet gave its nod for setting up the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation MRVC on Wednesday, there is time yet to pop the champagne for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project MUTP-II. Where Mumbaiites have waited for five years now, they might as well hold their horses till this year end. For planners involved with the MUTP-II do not expect the foundation stone of the Rs 6000 crore project to be laid before September/December this year.

8220;Now that we have formed the MRVC, we shall be writing to them,8221; said a state government official, 8220;and the World Bank board will then be including the MUTP-II in their lending programme. As of now, we are waiting for the WB to confirm that they will indeed sponsor the programme8221;.

Formed on the basis of the Comprehensive Transport Study CTS, 1993 by consultants W S Atkins, as a project that invests in mass transport than encourage private traffic, the MUTP-II has been on the planning list of the state authorities since 1995. It has twocomponents: augmenting rail services at a cost of an estimated Rs 5,141 crore and a road component at an estimated Rs 1,500 crore.

Though the MRVC was originally conceived as a local institution for controlling and running the Mumbai suburban railways, the reluctance of the Indian Railways to give away its powers led to the creation of the present body with a truncated objective of implementing the railway projects of the MUTP-II alone. While this has been complied to by the state and the Central governments, many other institutional changes included by the World Bank for the MUTP-II has not been implemented yet.

This includes, the amendment to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888 to make traffic management an obligatory duty of the civic body. While the bill for the amendment was to have been placed in the state legislature during the winter session of December last, it now appears that the government would be amending the Act in all aspects, giving more power to the ward officers, et albefore presenting it to the state legislature in the next session.

The WB mission had also suggested the creation of a Municipal Parking Authority, recognising the importance of parking spaces in the city and for making parking regulations, to control traffic especially in the central business district. No move has been made in this direction, either. 8220;We do not think that these were a priority for the WB,8221; said the official, 8220;but these changes will be undertaken eventually8221;.

The state has, however, drawn up a blueprint for the creation of a department, under the Urban Development Department for the implementation of the Mumbai Urban Rehabilitation Project MURP. To be undertaken at an estimated outlay of Rs 700 crore, the MURP envisages relocation of people affected by the railway and road projects in the city.

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8220;Once the WB informs us of their readiness to implement the MUTP-II, we shall present the MURP project for their approval,8221; said the official.

So when everything is ready why should wehave to wait for the year end for the actual project, you ask. Well, for one there are still many studies to be completed.

While the feasibility studies of most of the rail and road components are ready, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA is completing the detailed engineering studies for the same. Also being drawn up are consultants for the development of the station spaces of Bandra-Kurla for the proposed Bandra-Kurla rail link.

All these studies are expected to be complete by mid-1999. It is expected that the WB loans will actually materialise at a 65:35 ratio by the end of this year. 8220;Procedures have to be followed you see,8221; as the official states.