In a major relief to Mumbaikars and the MMRDA, the Railways has allowed the development authority to speed-up the work of much awaited Milan subway rail over bridge at Santa Cruz. However, the delay has increased the cost of the project by 100 per cent.
“Earlier the railway officials had asked us to have a support pier in between the railway tracks before installing girders. This would have delayed the project immensely, as it involves laying foundation with a strong base and also shifting several underground utilities,” said a senior MMRDA official.
Due to this demand of the Railways, the MMRDA authority had given up hopes of completing the project in 2013. The original deadline of the project was chalked out for June 2010, but it has already been revised five times. The constant rescheduling has resulted in cost escalation.
After much persuasion and discussion between both the agencies, railway officials agreed that a supporting pier would not be needed to launch girders.
During the launch of the project, the cost was pegged at `41.50 crore, but now it stands at over `85 crore. A service road too has been added to it, which is a partial reason for cost hike.
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Power is not everything: AJIT
Age correspondent
Mumbai, Oct. 11
Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who remained absent from the party’s fifth national convention in Gujarat on health grounds, on Thursday attended a function in Mumbai.
Though NCP had played down Ajit’s absence from the convention, sources said that Ajit was not happy with NCP chief Sharad Pawar, after the latter didn’t side with him during his
tussle with Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan.
According to sources, Ajit Pawar is also unhappy about Mr Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule being elevated in the party.