By IANS,
Mumbai : The Maharashtra government plans to construct six terminals on the city’s west coast to provide coastal water transportation for Mumbai’s commuters, state Industry and Ports Minister Narayan Rane said here Friday.
The six terminals – with facilities for commuters to board catamarans, hovercrafts and speedboats – will come up on the 45 km long coastal route between Nariman Point (south Mumbai) and Borivli (north Mumbai). It will have stops at Bandra, Juhu, Andheri and Malad sea fronts, Rane said.
In his written reply in the legislative council, Rane said that three tenders have been invited for the project, which is scheduled to start soon.
The project is expected to be completed by 2015-16.
The minister was responding to a question by Shiv Sena legislator Anil Parab and others in the house saying that there was 30-45 percent cost escalation in the work.
The west coast water transport project will lead to a revolutionary transformation in the island city commuter transport system, which is bursting at the seams.
The project was recently given a green clearance from the Experts’ Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment and Forest.