1st phase of Virar-Alibaug corridor by 2017: MMRDA

The project, costing Rs 12,975 cr, will improve connectivity to five National Highways, including the Mumbai-Pune expressway.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) plans to finish the first phase of the 126-km multi modal corridor (MMC) from Virar to Alibaug by 2017.

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The MMRDA plans to construct the MMC in two phases. The first phase of 76 km from Navghar, near Virar, to Chirner, near JNPT, is expected to be ready by 2017. This stretch will help connect Mumbai to five National Highways including those towards Ahmedabad, Delhi, Goa, south India, and the Mumbai Pune Expressway and will cost Rs 9,326 crore. The body plans to build it on a public-private partnership (PPP).

The second phase, 47 km long, will be between Chirner and Alibaug. This will cost Rs 3649 crore, but the MMRDA will have to construct it using its own funds as a PPP is not feasible on this route, as the second phase is more complex, and involves more land acquisition.

The MMRDA however needs to acquire nearly 1,261 hectares of land around the stretch, which officials estimate will cost Rs800 crore. “It will take us two years to complete the land acquisition process. We plan to start work by 2014 and finish the first phase by 2017-18,” metropolitan commissioner Rahul Asthana said. However, land acquisition could be a problem and MMRDA is planning to formulate an acquisition plan based on the Gujarat town planning scheme.

Under this scheme, plans for developing the land are formulated as a joint venture between authorities and the land’s owners. Owners are compensated for land acquired for the project, though they get back land not required for the project, which is nevertheless developed by the state, increasing its value.