Mumbai makeover may be back on track

 Infrastructure projects worth over Rs 37,000 crore are expected to be back on track with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) combine returning to power.

The showpiece infrastructure projects include the Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link, Dharavi Redevelopment, Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the Colaba-Bandra leg of the Mumbai Metro project apart from Mantralaya Redevelopment project. They were delayed because of the election code of conduct that kicked in after the Election Commission announced the election dates in August this year.

 

There was a sense of relief in corporate circles here since a change in the government could have put all these projects in review mode, meaning further delays.

Sanjay G Ubale, MD and CEO of Tata Realty and Infrastructure, said he expected the projects to shift from the drawing board to actual execution very soon. Tata Realty is bidding for highways, rail and port projects in the state.

Ubale says since the projects were conceived by the same government, there will be renewed pressure on it to deliver this time. "People will certainly ask the government when they will deliver on these projects. If some other party had come to the power, they could bought time by saying that would want to review the projects. This government wouldn't have that option," he said.