Mira Bhayandar: The ambitious project outlined by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) to concrete its road network will begin in conjunction with the digging work to overhaul the internal water distribution system of the twin city, scheduled to commence in October this year.
Notably, the twin city has a road network spanning approximately 300 kilometers, of which only 21 kilometers have been concretised so far.
Mira Bhayandar: MBMC Launches Ambitious Road Concreting Project alongside Twin-City Water Distribution Overhaul | FPJ
Project divided into 11 packages
Work orders have been issued to contractors, dividing the project into 11 packages to construct an additional 84 kilometers of cement roads. However, the project has been put on hold due to the proposed overhaul of the internal water distribution network, which will also involve extensive digging. The master plan of the project includes laying new pipelines (176 km), constructing 23 elevated storage reservoirs, and extending feeder mains (38 km) to enhance the water supply and eliminate in-transit leakages that are affecting the water delivery system.
"We are well-prepared to initiate the road concreting work. However, to ensure the smooth execution of both projects, especially during the digging phase and proper handling of utility lines, we have decided to commence the works in a coordinated manner starting from October," confirmed City Engineer Deepak Khambit.
The estimated cost of the road concreting and water line overhaul project is pegged at Rs. 1,034 crore and Rs. 516.78 crore, respectively. While the MBMC has received clearance for its loan application of Rs. 500 crore from a nationalized bank to concrete its road network, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will contribute Rs. 387 crore. Additionally, for the waterline overhaul project, the central and state governments will provide financial grants of Rs. 172.24 crore (33.33%) and Rs. 189.50 crore (36.67%), respectively, with the remaining expense of Rs. 155.04 crore (30%) to be borne by the civic administration. Given the acute fund crunch faced by the MBMC, it has sought financial assistance of Rs. 126 crore from the central divisive tax pool of the finance commission
