MMRDA wants Cidco land to fund trans-harbour link

The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), which is implementing the trans-harbour link project to better connect Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, has asked the City Industrial Development Co (Cidco) to give it a 10-hectare plot which it controls in Navi Mumbai.

"We want to develop the land commercially and use the money to fund the trans-harbour link," MMRDA chief Rahul Asthana said on Tuesday.
 
The 22-km trans-harbour link between Sewri and Nhava in Navi Mumbai is estimated to cost over Rs8,800 crore. The bids of six international consortiums were finalised for consideration on Monday.

Expected to be completed in five years, the link is being built on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis, with both the centre and MMRDA contributing towards the viability gap funding to ensure that the private entity awarded the project does not incur a loss.

"We have received the MMRDA request but no decision has been taken," said a senior Cidco official, according to a Times of India report.

Another report says that besides the six consortiums that have submitted proposals to build the much-delayed trans-harbour link, three more companies were keen on the project and had sought more time to prepare and submit the pre-qualification bids.

Reliance Infrastucture, Welspun Infratech and Essar Projects had requested another extension of the 19 March deadline. However, MMRDA decided not to grant this as it would have led to further delays and complications in the project, says the Indian Express.