From a long-pending tree census to the construction of a shopping mall in Dahisar and a cable-stayed bridge in Madh, the return of the general body of elected representatives to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after four years has once again brought into focus several stalled infrastructure projects and policy initiatives.
Most of these projects were proposed and approved during the tenure of previous corporations, but have remained in limbo since the elected body was dissolved, seeing little progress under the administrator-led regime.
In 2021, the BMC proposed to build two malls on defunct octroi naka land plots at Dahisar in the western suburbs and Mankhurd in the eastern suburbs. after the abolition of octroi in 2017, These lands were identified for redevelopment, primarily to keep long-distance buses out of the city limits and reduce congestion on the Eastern and Western Express Highways.
The total cost of the project was pegged at over Rs 1,100 crore, with the Mankhurd center estimated at Rs 240 crore and the Dahisar center at around Rs 992 crore. However, the project has seen little progress in the last four years.
According to civic officials, the nodes are planned as transit and integration centers for long-distance buses.
Vehicles arriving from Gujarat, Rajasthan and the north of the country are expected to terminate at Dahisar, while buses from Goa, Karnataka and Pune would be sent to Mankhurd.
In addition to easing traffic congestion, the centers are also expected to reduce vehicle emissions and offer recreational facilities.
“These centers will act as a port for the road transport network which will not only improve the smoothness of travel but also regulate emissions,” an official told The indian express.
The BMC floated a tender for the project in 2024, but it failed to take off.
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“We had floated a tender, however, the project could not take off as we did not receive responses from inadequate number of bidders. Once the standing committee is formed, our aim is to get its approval and re-tender,” the official said.
Long Pending Tree Census
In 2021, BMC launched a pilot tree census in Ward D, covering Malabar Hill, Kemps Corner and Grant Road in the south. Bombayto evaluate the city’s tree population. The initiative was proposed by the BMC’s tree committee, comprising elected representatives.
While a large-scale census was planned for 2022, it has not yet begun.
Mumbai continues to struggle with poor air quality, with experts attributing rising pollution levels partly to low tree density.
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The last comprehensive tree census was conducted in 2011, which recorded 29.75 lakh trees across the city.
Civic data shows that between 2018 and 2023, more than 21,000 trees were felled for infrastructure projects. In October of last year, the The Supreme Court also removed the BMC due to low affordability rates.
Official figures indicate that trees transplanted in Mumbai have an average survival rate of only 20 percent.
“The tree department has initiated a process to carry out a GIS study of not only the trees but also the existing green and open spaces. This will be followed by another holistic study to be carried out to determine the number of trees in Mumbai. The reports for the initial pilot study are ready and will be presented to the tree committee once it is formed in BMC,” an official said.
Mrunaltai Gore Flyover
The Mrunaltai Gore flyover, a key connector in the western suburbs, has been incomplete for more than five years. Construction began in 2019 and was scheduled to be completed in 2022. Civic officials have cited delays in relocating underground utilities and obtaining procedural clearances as reasons for the delay.
The flyover is expected to link SV Road with Link Road and ease congestion in Goregaon, Andheri and Jogeshwari.
A newly elected BJP corporator from Goregaon said completing the flyover would be his priority.
“This project has been pending for many years and is the reason behind traffic congestion not only in Goregaon but also in nearby Ram Mandir and Andheri. “Once the civic committee resumes, I will take up this matter with the administration,” the corporator said.
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Madh Versova cable-stayed flyover
Another major pending project is the cable-stayed flyover connecting Madh island with Versova. Once completed, it is expected to reduce travel time from the current 45 minutes to an hour, to about five minutes.
The first tender for the project was launched in 2019, but was later scrapped. It was refloated in March last year, with the estimated cost rising 33 per cent to Rs 2,395 crore from Rs 1,800 crore previously.
Malad corporator Haider Ali Shaikh of the Congress said he would closely monitor the project now that the elected body has returned.
“The environmental clearances were obtained only last year. Earlier, when we proposed the clearances, the government had suggested some changes in the design and alignment, which further led to cost increase. Now that the clearances are in force, we intend to start the work at the earliest and complete it within the next five years,” an official said.