Mumbaikars have waited for an alternative mode of transport for travel for too long. Joining this wait is RA Rajeev, Metropolitan Commissioner of MMRDA. Before COVID-19 struck in March last year and the subsequent lockdown, he was very optimistic that two projects — Metro Lines 2A and 7 — will be completed by the end of 2020. But the crisis delayed the project. R A Rajeev in a conversation with R N Bhaskar, Consulting Editor, FPJ; Shishir Joshi, CEO and Founder, Project Mumbai; and Sayli Udas⎯Mankikar, Senior Fellow, ORF Mumbai, shares his vision for the city. With editorial inputs from Jescilia K of FPJ, given below are edited excerpts of R A Rajeev’s conversation. This webinar was organised on January 16, by The Free Press Journal in association with Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
Mumbai is changing
It will be more like a dream for Mumbaikars to reach anywhere in Mumbai within 60 minutes. This could be by car or public transport. This is exactly what MMRDA has undertaken to ensure.
I am waiting for the metro to start, it will be a pleasant trip.
When Mumbaikar realises that he or she is reaching their destination faster using public transport, there will be many who will give up their car to take up mass transit.
MMRDA projects are divided into two phases. In the first phase,180 km will be completed by 2022. In the second phase, the remaining 157 kms will be operational by 2025-2026.
By 2025, most of the infrastructure projects under MMRDA will be complete. At present, MMRDA is planning and implementing a total of 337 kms of metro lines and around 180 kms is under construction.
By the end of 2022, the longest sea bridge in India — Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) — will also be completed.
In 2021, we will be inaugurating two metro lines — Dahisar to D N Nagar and Dahisar to Andheri — in Mumbai. This will be 37 kms of metro lines in the city.
It took 10 years for Mumbai to get its first metro line — Metro One. However, after its implementation, we learned a lot out of that project.
Thus, MMRDA was able to reduce the implementation time for other metro projects. By 2021, we are inaugurating Metro Line 2A and 7.
Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) will certainly change the way Mumbai travels. For instance, ever since people discovered that Ulwe in Navi Mumbai, is going to be connected to MTHL, has seen a rise in the property prices by 5-10 times.
By 2030, Mumbai will have a complete ring road. MTHL will connect to the multi-modal corridor which is Panvel-Virar. That will connect to the Western coastal road, and the person will be back in South Mumbai.
MMRDA is the first metro authority in the country that has developed its own branding manual. The first branding manual was unveiled by the Prime Minister of India and the second one will be unveiled by the Chief Minister.
COVID-19 impact on the projects
If it was not for COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdown, Metro line 2A and 7 would have been up and running. Most of the other projects like Western Express Highway access control have been delayed due to COVID-19.
All our labourers ran away. All the manufacturing units in India and overseas were closed down. So, it was very difficult to get access to supplies.
COVID-19 delays may not be reflected on long-run projects but the delay is reflected in projects that were near completion.
One city, one ticket system
MMRDA is trying to implement a one-city-one-ticket system soon. We devised it during the lockdown period. However, the discussion on the same was on for the last two years.
There are many authorities that are involved in public transport in Mumbai and getting all of them under one system was difficult. Why should a commuter suffer as multiple authorities are not ready to compromise on their respective powers. So, we devised a system where no one comes in between.
It is an app that will take payment from you for every authority in Mumbai and send the money to that authority and send the QR code to the customer. One app will give you multiple QR codes.
This app will provide different options to travel and the consumer can plan the journey and QR codes will be developed as per the customer’s need.
The consumer will be the king here.
Monorail — How it got its second life
Due to an accident, the monorail project was shut down. Post which, MMRDA took the decision of running monorail on its own instead of paying the contractor.
MMRDA was incurring losses due to the way the operator, Scomi, was running it. We realised that the operator was unable to run it efficiently. So, it was time to let them go.
We discussed it, started working on it. By the end of that year, MMRDA started running it. Not a single person was retrenched from services.
The only issue now is the frequency. We imported 10 trains — two trains were cannibalised by Scomi, one train got burnt — this left us with only seven trains for operations. Out of seven trains, six trains are running — two trains started after a considerable indigenisation of parts which Scomi failed to provide. The remaining one train will also be operational soon.
Soon after Scomi’s suspension, we called for bids and two Chinese companies showed interest. However, they tried to change the terms and conditions which were not very favourable. So, we appealed to Indian manufacturers to come forward and help us. Many Indian manufacturers have come forward. At present, the tender process is still on.
In two years’ time, we will get a sufficient number of trains. This will reduce the interval between two trains to four-five minutes.
Meanwhile, work is on to connect the monorail with different metro lines. Saat-Rasta (Jacob Circle) is definitely getting connected to Metro Line 3. At Wadala, the monorail will be connected to Line 4. At Chembur, it will be connected to Line 2B. By December 2022, Metro Line 2B will be operational.
Blue infrastructure
Mithi river is not a regular river. It is a perennial river and whenever the lakes are overflowing it gets the water. Otherwise, it is the backwater of the sea.
Before Mithi enters BKC, there are 70 drains and nullahs that are entering and polluting it. The citizens will have to stop dumping effluent into the river. So, the area from where the effluents pass falls under the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) domain.
BMC is planning small sewage treatment plants in these locations. As far as, Mithi river is concerned, MMRDA has taken up a few measures.
MMRDA has taken up a floating sewage material cleaning project and sewage treatment plant with the support of the United Nations. Another project is with support of Mumbai University where MMRDA are using different bacteria to eat up the sewage there.
Decarbonisation
On the Navi Mumbai side of MTHL project, MMRDA has planted 14 lakh trees in and around the MTHL line. We have 120 metres of right of way — out of that 90 metres will be used by us and rest we will be planting trees. This is how we are decarbonising.
All metro projects are decarbonising. Around 1.20 crore people will travel by metro alone (when all metro projects are operational). Pre-Covid-19, around 80 lakh people travelled every day by train. This means that around 1.2 crore people can travel without being congested in public transport and life will be much easier in Mumbai.
Multiple-modal integration
Multiple-modal integration is a sub-project that is running parallel to all metro projects. Around 100 metres around the metro stations are being designed in such a way that buses, rickshaws and cycles get accommodated.
From there, motorised and non-motorised systems of transformation for the first and the last mile connectivity will be available. This public transport is being developed for pedestrians.
Connecting growth centres
The growth centres should get connected and should be connected to each other. The Metro Line 14 which is planned from Badlapur to Kanjurmarg, gets connected to Badlapur, Ambernath, Dombivali, Kalyan, Mumbra, Navi Mumbai to Kanjurmarg. This will allow people living in those regions to come to Mumbai and work and go back. When these areas are connected to each other, they develop.
For different growth centres, we have different plans. Certainly, there are a lot of dynamics involved in that. Certainly, with public transport infrastructure and roads getting interlinked to each other, the area will get developed.
