Fight over Bullet Train plot in BKC reaches Fadnavis

Fight over Bullet Train plot in BKC reaches Fadnavis

BKC ideal for the project, insists Railways. But MMRDA says it will make IFC construction cost shoot up. Consultants of Railways, Maharashtra to jointly work out solution.

Mumbai: With the central and state governments in a logjam over the location of the originating station of the proposed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, a decision has been taken to have their consultants sit together to work out a solution.

Officials from the railways, Maharashtra government and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority had a meeting on Monday to discuss the stalemate. The railways has proposed to construct an underground railway station for the showpiece bullet train at Bandra Kurla Complex.

The state government has however been reluctant to provide land, having planned an International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) on the vacant land in the complex. A senior state official said, “We have asked the railways to tell us exactly how much land they require to construct the bullet train station.” He added representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency will sit together with consultants of MMRDA to work out if the IFSC and bullet train station can co-exist in Bandra Kurla Complex.

After the railways and the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) failed to sort out their joust over a plot of land for the ambitious bullet train project at the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC), the contentious issue has now reached the Chief Minister’s court for a decision.

The railways wanted a 50-acre plot of land in BKC for setting up a terminus for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. The MMRDA is opposed to the proposal on grounds that it has already proposed an international financial centre (IFC). In March, the state government officially communicated to the railways that it could not accept their proposal as it would make the MMRDA incur huge financial losses.

However, earlier this month, the railways sent another proposal to the MMRDA in which it proposed a bullet-train terminus that would be built on the same plot but underground, so that both the IFC and the terminus could co-exist.

Officials from the railways, Maharashtra government and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority had a meeting on Monday to discuss the stalemate.

Chief secretary Swadheen Kshatriya called ameeting on Monday to hear out both sides on the issue. During the meeting, MMRDA officials sought to know why the railways were insisting on having a terminus at BKC when the railways already has large land parcels in its possession in Bandra (East), Kurla and Thane.

The MMRDA also pointed out that their cost of constructing the IFC would go up if they were made to construct it above the railway terminus and that the height of the project could become an issue due to the centre’s proximity to the airport.

The railways replied that since the bullet train project was meant to provide connectivity between two IFCs — one in Mumbai and other in Gujarat known as Gujarat International Finance & Tech city or GIFT city — it made sense to have the terminus at BKC.

Besides, BKC offers better connectivity to other parts of city, which would facilitate the dispersal of passengers, the railways argued.

However, giving no indication about which way the decision will go, Kshatriya said, “After hearing both sides, I asked them to conduct further deliberations. Both sides will then be asked to present their cases before Fadnavis and his decision on the issue will be final.”

Source:RailNews