The work on Rs 111 crores jetty in Nerul for water transport from Mandwa to Nerul and Nerul to Gateway of India is at the last stage and it is likely to be completed by end of the year. The project was delayed due to a delay in getting clearance from the Forest department and later imposition of the lockdown in 2020.
The water transport is believed to cut travel time by 30 minutes from travelling to Mumbai from Navi Mumbai. At present, by any mode, it takes around 90 minutes to reach south Mumbai from Navi Mumbai.
Last year, Thane MP Rajan Vichare and Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, managing director of City and Industrial Development inspected the ongoing work and assured its completion in 2021.
“The work of Rs 111 crore jetty was started in 2018 and it was supposed to be completed in 24 months. However, it was delayed due to multiple reasons from the delay in getting Forest department clearance to sudden lockdown in 2020.
According to CIDCO which is developing the project, the completion of the project is at the last stage and it is likely to be completed by Diwali or the end of the year if all goes well.
After completion of the jetty work, it will be handed over to the Mumbai Maritime Board (MMB) for operation. However, the maintenance of the jetty will remain with the CIDCO.
The work on three water terminals, one each at Ferry Wharf, Nerul and Mandwa are already going on. MMB, the nodal agency for the project, has roped in the CIDCO and the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). MMB will fund the construction at Mandwa, Cidco at Nerul and MbPT at Ferry Wharf. All these will be connected to each other.
