Mumbai: Bullet train BKC land acquisition is held up due to Covid Centre

No land acquisition for the proposed Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) bullet train station can take place before September. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the special planning authority of the BKC, had asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to vacate the existing BKC Jumbo Covid Centre; however, the BMC has sought time till September, in view of the current Covid-19 situation in the city.

When asked about the BKC bullet train land handover process, Metropolitan Commissioner S V R Srinivas said an alternative land parcel in the BKC had been offered to a petrol pump station currently operational at the proposed bullet train station site and it will soon be relocated.

However, there is also an active jumbo Covid centre that needs to be vacated. He said, “I had a word with the BMC commissioner a few days ago and he has asked us (the MMRDA) to allow the centre to be operated till September.” Only after the jumbo Covid centre is vacated can the bullet train land acquisition process begin, he said.

The MMRDA-built BKC Jumbo Covid centre received a lot of accolades for the treatment of patients, especially during the first and second waves in Mumbai. In the last two years, more than 6,683 Covid cases have been handled here. The vaccination arm of the centre had inoculated 4.81 lakh people, before May 19.

More than 100 frontline workers and Covid warriors were felicitated for their contribution during the two deadly waves and the Omicron wave, earlier this year. The jumbo facility is spread over 3.3 lakh sq ft and offers state-of-the-art facilities, with patient care on a par with that of private hospitals. The MMRDA had established Phase 1 of this centre, with 1,026 beds, in a record time of 17 days.

In the first wave, around 10,000 patients were treated here, with zero deaths, according to the BMC. As cases increased, Phase 2 was built with an ICU facility of 108 beds, once again, in just 18 days.

The much-awaited land acquisition for the bullet train project in Maharashtra including at the BKC, did not see the light of the day because of the alleged non-cooperation of the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government, led by Uddhav Thackeray. However, now, with the Eknath Shinde Devendra Fadnavis government at the helm in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project is witnessing rapid progress.

Provision has also been made for the International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) to come up overground, at the same location as the underground bullet train station, as per the plan of the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL).

Interestingly, for the last few years, the MMRDA, responsible for handing over the land parcel for the BKC bullet train station, had been sitting on the file despite repeated reminders by the NHSRCL. As a result, civil work for the proposed underground terminal station could not begin. After repeated extensions, the tender was finally scrapped. For the underground station at the BKC, the NHSRCL requires 4.84 hectares of land for the construction of the station, and 0.81ha of land temporarily, to facilitate the process.

The overall land acquisition in Maharashtra for the bullet train project stands at 72 per cent, as on July 12. In Palghar, 287. 74ha of land are required, of which 202.93ha has been acquired while work on the acquisition of another 70.63ha is still underway. Similarly, in Thane, of the total 141.26ha of land needed, 110.49ha have been acquired while work on the acquisition of 78.22ha is underway.

In Mumbai Suburban (BKC), 4.82ha of land are required, of which zero has been acquired. The bullet train will run across a 508.17km stretch between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, of which 155.76km will pass through Maharashtra, 384.04km through Gujarat and 4.3km through Dadra & Nagar Haveli. According to the NHSRCL, it has obtained Stage-1 clearance under the Forest Conservation Act. All the necessary compensatory payments in this stage have been made and currently, clearance for Stage-II is being sought.

Published on: Thursday, July 14, 2022, 09:21 AM IST