Cost of Bandra-Versova sea link escalates by ₹6,788 crore in six years

Bandra-Versova Sea Link faces a cost escalation of ₹6,788 crore due to deadline extensions and additional works, bringing the total cost to ₹18,120 crore

MUMBAI: The grand tradition of deadline extension and inclusion of additional works in government projects has resulted in a significant escalation in the cost of the Bandra-Versova Sea Link. The state government has issued an order approving the cost escalation of ₹6,788 crore and granted an extension of 508 days to complete the additional work. With this, the total cost has shot up from the existing ₹11,332 crore sanctioned in 2018 to ₹18,120 crore.

Mumbai, India - June 16, 2022: A view of Bandra-Versova Sea Link (BVSL) project in progress at Carter Road, Bandra, in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, June 16, 2022. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

After work on the project began in 2019, local fishermen demanded some changes in the design of the sea link. A proposal to shift the casting yard and effect some changes in the scope of the work followed. The cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure approved the changes a couple of months ago and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) submitted a fresh proposal regarding the change in the estimated project cost.

‘Accordingly the approval has been given to increase the estimated cost of the project to ₹18,120.96 crore,’ states the order issued by the public works department on Thursday. However, while approving the increase, the government has asked MSRDC to raise the extra funds from its own resources.

As per the government order, ₹544.92 crore will be needed for the cost of shifting the casting yard from Juhu to Malad. The ₹800-crore escalation will also encompass ‘Lighting and Beautification’, says the government-approved proposal. Approval has been given to extend the project deadline by 508 days to complete the additional work.

The Versova-Bandra sea link has a length of 17.17 km and forms part of the coastal road that will link Marine Lines with Kandivali. It will connect the Bandra end of the Bandra-Worli sea link with Nana-Nani Park in Versova and also provide interchanges at Carter Road and Juhu. The main sea link bridge will be 9.60 km long with four lanes in each direction. The Bandra connector will be 1.17 km long with two lanes in each direction while the Versova connector will be 1.80 km long with three lanes in each direction.

After the completion of the Bandra-Worli sea link project in 2009, the then Congress-NCP government had proposed the next extensions of the sea link—Worli to Nariman Point and Bandra to Versova—in order to ease traffic between the western suburbs and South Mumbai. But later, due to policy-level differences between the Congress and NCP, the project was put on the back burner. In 2011, the Bandra-Versova sea link was approved but made no progress.

In 2017, the BJP-Shiv Sena government handed over the responsibility of constructing the sea link to MSRDC at an estimated cost of ₹7,508 crore. But within a year, the scope of work was changed and the estimated project cost was increased to ₹11,332.82 crore.