Maha Budget 2021-22: Govt announced major infra projects to boost public transport

Mumbai, India (Urban Transport News): The deputy chief minister and finance minister of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar on Monday presented a ₹4,84,118.19 crore Budget in the state assembly. During his budget speech, he announced a major infra project to boost railways, metro, roads and waterways in Maharashtra.

Road Development

The 200 km Jalna-Nanded Expressway Connector to Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Samrudhi Mahamarg is being undertaken at an estimated cost of ₹7,000 crores. 170 km Pune Ring Road will be constructed at an estimated cost of ₹26,000 crores. Coastal Highway connecting Revas, Dist. Raigad to Reddy, Dist. Sindhudurg estimated to cost ₹9,573 crores.

Old diesel buses of State Transport Corporation will be converted into environmentally friendly CNG and electric buses. The bus stands will also be modernized. An outlay is proposed of ₹1,400 crores for this.

Mumbai Trans-harbour Link project will be completed by September 2022. A four-lane flyover is under construction to connect the Bandra-Worli sea link to MTHL which will be completed in the next three years. Land acquisition of 126 km long “Virar-Alibaug Multimodal Corridor” costing ₹40,000 Crores is in progress.

Work of Bandra-Versova sea link, 17.17 km long, and estimated to cost ₹11,333 crores is in progress. The estimated cost of the Bandra-Versova-Virar sea link is ₹42,000 crores and the feasibility report is being prepared. The estimated cost of the Goregaon-Mulund link road is Rs. 6,600 crores and the tendering work is in process.

The Mumbai Coastal Road project is progressing rapidly and it is planned to complete before 2024. “Thane Coastal Road” which is 15 k.m. long and 40 meters wide, parallel to Thane Creek is in progress costing ₹1,250 crores.

The finance minister has proposed an outlay of ₹12,950 crores for road development in the state.

Railway Development

Pune Nashik Railway Project is a semi high-speed railway line with a proposed length of 235 km, speed of this train will be 200 km per hour. The estimated cost of the project is ₹16,039 crores.

Metro Rail Projects

A total of ₹491.14 crores allocated to Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (Maha Metro) for ongoing construction work of Nagpur and Pune Metro Rail projects. ₹188.95 crores and ₹302.19 crores allocated for Nagpur and Pune Metro respectively.

The state government had already announced a broad gauge Metro connecting Nagpur city to Wardha, Ramtek, Bhandara, and Narkhed, ₹2,100 crore Metro Neo lite in Nashik, and the recently-approved ₹7,165 crore Metro lite system in Thane.

Water Transport

Vasai to Kalyan water transport service will be made available in the first phase.