Delay due to changed route

The Asian Age: Mumbai: Thursday, January 30, 2014.

An RTI query has revealed that the reason behind the three-year delay in Monorail is primarily due to change of alignment of its route, which led to further cost escalation of the project. The RTI query has also revealed that this and issues of cost escalation were not presented before the chief minister and the Urban Development Department of the Government of Maharashtra.

The query regarding the change in route alignment of the Monorail project was raised by RTI activist Anil Galgali. Mr Galgali was given a reply by the deputy planner of the Monorail stating that the MMRDA commissioner, during his initial inspection itself, had suggested exploring the possibility of an alternative alignment, avoiding the Haffkinne Institute and Bhoiwada route.

Based on this suggestion, the feasibility of an alternative alignment through Acharya Donde Marg-Khanolkar Chauk-Tata hospital was explored and it was approved later on by the commissioner. This proposed realignment is 1.1 km-long as against the existing alignment of 0.717 km. The overall increase in the alignment amounts to 383 metres.

MMRDA wrote a letter to the BMC chief engineer informing him about the decision of realignment stating that the route is now slightly modified due to serious Right of Way (ROW) constraints, requiring demolition of around 60 pucca legal structures on G.D. Ambedakar Marg from Gora Kumbhar chauk.

“This did not fit into the stipulated time schedule of the project. Therefore the alignment had to be changed. The route takes a left from Kumbhar Chauk on Acharya Donde Marg and E. Borges Marg and meets again at Mane Master Chauk. The decision of this alignment was taken jointly by the municipal commissioners of both the MMRDA and the BMC,” the letter said.

When asked about the cost escalation this project had to bear because of the re-aligned route, the Monorail authorities replied that no data is available with them regarding this matter. To the question on furnishing the copy of CM’s approval for the said change of alignment, the Monorail authorities replied that Metropolitan commissioner sanctioned the change under the power conferred to him. The reply said, “The Metropolitan commissioner visited the site on September 24, 2009 and instructed to change the said alignment. Senior officer P.L. Kadu made the proposal, which was sanctioned by the Metropolitan Commissioner on October 21, 2009.”

Mr Galgali has written a letter the chief minister of Maharashtra demanding an enquiry into the role of the MMRDA officers who made unscrupulous decisions which led to cost escalation and delay of the project. “Due to the negligence of the MMRDA officers, the Monorail project has been delayed for so long, which not only escalated the cost of the project but also created traffic problems to lakhs of commuters.” said Mr Galgali.

Dilip Kawathkar, joint project director, MMRDA said, “Decisions are taken at the ground-level, keeping all the angles to execute the project, including existing utility services.”