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Versova–Bandra Sea Link

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Versova Bandra Sea Link
CarriesMotor vehicles
CrossesArabian Sea
LocaleMumbai, Maharashtra, India
BeginsVersova
EndsBandra
OwnerMSRDC
Followed byBandra–Worli Sea Link
Characteristics
DesignCable-stayed main spans; concrete-steel precast segment viaducts at either end
Total length17.17 kilometres (10.67 mi)
Longest span300 metres (980 ft)
No. of lanes4 in each direction
History
Engineering design byDar Al-Handasah[1]
Constructed byReliance Infrastructure
Astaldi[2]
Construction start2019
Construction end2027
Construction cost₹6,993.99 crore (US$840 million)[2]
OpeningAugust 2027[3]
Statistics
Daily traffic60,000-70,000 vehicles (2023 estimate)[4]

The Versova–Bandra Sea Link (VBSL) is an under construction bridge in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. The 17.17-kilometre (10.67 mi) bridge will connect Versova, a neighbourhood in the suburb of Andheri to the Bandra–Worli Sea Link in Bandra, as part of the Coastal Road.[5] The 8-lane sea link is expected to reduce congestion on the Western Express Highway and the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway.[6][7]

History

The Versova–Bandra Sea Link received environmental clearance, under certain conditions, from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) in January 2013.[8] A cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure chaired by then Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan cleared the project on 15 January 2014.[9] Some observers felt that the move was an attempt to keep Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) happy prior to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, as this project and the Pune Ring Road project which was also approved the sub-committee, would be undertaken by the MSRDC, which was then headed by the NCP.[8][10] The project had been pending for approval from the State Government for the past three years.[11] The fate of the sealink had been uncertain after Chavan said that coastal roads were less expensive to build. Chavan stated that he also favoured coastal roads because they had less environmental hurdles than a sealink. BMC officials stated that the government had not clarified the future of the coastal road project, after approving the VBSL.[12]

The MSRDC invited request for qualification (RFQ) from companies interested in constructing the VBSL on 2 March 2014. The agency conducted a pre-bid conference for potential bidders on 28 March. The last date for the submission of technical bids was fixed as 30 May, and the MSRDC planned to open technical bids on 31 May 2014, as per the tender notice. The MSRDC estimated the project concession period to be 35 years in the absence of any viability gap funding (the state's financial contribution in a PPP project). However, after some members of the infrastructure sub-committee expressed reservations about the long concession period, the corporation decided to seek 20% from the Union government, which the MSRDC estimated would reduce the concession period to about 28–30 years.[13] The Louis Berger Group was awarded a ₹109 crore (US$13 million) contract to provide project management services for the VBSL project in January 2018.[14]

A joint venture between Reliance Infrastructure and Italian construction company Astaldi was awarded an engineering, procurement and construction contract worth ₹6,993.99 crore (US$840 million) to build the VBSL in May 2018.[15] The agreement was signed between the consortium and the MSRDC on 4 September 2018.[16] The MSRDC also announced that it had appointed the Louis Berger Group to design three connecting roads to link the Versova–Bandra Sea Link with key roads near its entry and exit points.[17] Construction on the project will have to be halted for three months every year during the monsoon season.[18] However owing to work proceeding at a snail's pace, Reliance-Astaldi came under heavy fire with numerous warnings and Penalties imposed by MSRDC. Finally in January 2022, Reliance Infra exited the Project by Transferring its shares to the JV Partner Astaldi. A new JV was formed between Webuild (a subsidiary of Astaldi) and Uttar Pradesh based Apco Infratech to execute the project, following MSRDC approval [10]

On 26 February 2019, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) approved the setting up of a casting yard at Juhu Beach for the project. Activist Zoru Bhathena filed a petition challenging the decision in the Bombay High Court. The High Court cancelled the permission granted by the MCZMA citing a violation of coastal regulation zone guidelines on 26 April. The MSRDC filed a special leave petition appealing the order in the Supreme Court. On 9 May, the two-judge bench of the Supreme Court upheld the High Court's verdict. The MSRDC withdrew its special leave petition,[19] and stated that it would it file a writ petition seeking permission from the High Court to set up the casting yard. If the petition is denied the agency will have to find alternate land for the casting yard, which would delay the start of construction.[20] The agency filed a review petition with the High Court on 30 August.[21] MSRDC officials stated that they were also exploring the possibility of renting land temporarily for use as a casting yard in case the review petition failed. The agency also requested the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute to conduct an environment assessment report on the proposed casting yard.[22]

The issue concerning the casting yard was finally resolved in July 2020 when the MSRDC allocated an alternate plot in Malad. Construction work on the project was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic which caused delays due to labour shortages and other factors.[23] Only 2.07% of total work on the project had been completed as of 15 August 2021.[3]

In January 2022, Reliance exited the project by transferring its shares to Astaldi's partner firm Webuild. Progress on the project was very slow, with the consortium only completing 2% of the total progress from September 2018 to August 2021 as opposed to Reliance's claims of completing it in 60 months from June 2019. In September 2021, MSRDC began imposing a penalty of ₹3.5 crore per day on the consortium. After Reliance's exit, Webuild appointed Gurugram-based APCO Infratech as its new partner.[24]

Cost

The cost of the project was originally estimated as ₹4,045 crore (US$480 million) in 2012. This escalated to ₹4,340 crore (US$520 million) in 2013, and ₹5,975 crore (US$720 million) in 2014.[25] The cost at the time of construction was ₹6,993.99 crore (US$840 million).

The Financial Express reported in September 2018 that the actual cost of the project would likely escalate to ₹11,332.81 crore (US$1.4 billion) by the time it is completed in 2023. MSRDC Vice Chairman Radheshyam Mopalwar stated that tolls would be collected on the sea link until 2052. The toll rates are expected to thrice the rates on the Bandra-Worli Sea Link as the Versova Bandra Sea Link is thrice as long.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Stage set for construction of new sea link in Mumbai". Deccan Herald. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Mumbai's Versova-Bandra sea link expected to be ready by 2023". Hindustan Times. 8 May 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Six fishing hamlets in Mumbai to bear brunt of Bandra-Versova Sea Link". Hindustan Times. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  4. ^ Sharma, Rouhan (5 September 2018). "Bandra-Versova sea-link cost set to rise 60%". The Financial Express. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  5. ^ Tembhekar, Chittaranjan (5 September 2018). "Deal sealed, work on Versova sea link to start next month". Times of India. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  6. ^ Tembhekar, Chittaranjan (16 January 2014). "Bandra-Worli sea link may extend to Versova". Wayback Machine. Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Versova-Bandra sea link gets nod". Free Press Journal. 18 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  8. ^ a b Shaikh, Ateeq (16 January 2014). "Eye on polls, Prithviraj Chavan clears two mega projects". DNA India. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  9. ^ "After a year's wait, Bandra-Versova sea link project back on table". The Indian Express. 6 February 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  10. ^ a b "A bridge that widens the gap". DNA India. 30 January 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Bandra-Versova sea link project gets Cabinet nod". India News – India TV. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Mumbai: Go-ahead to sea link extension makes coastal road plan hazy". DNA India. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  13. ^ "MSRDC invites pre-qualification bids for Bandra-Versova sea link". The Indian Express. 3 March 2014. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  14. ^ Berger, Louis (10 January 2018). "Louis Berger awarded Versova-Bandra Sea Link project management contract in India". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  15. ^ "R Infra-Astaldi JV bags Rs 7k cr Versova-Bandra sea link project in Mumbai". The Economic Times. 7 May 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  16. ^ "RInfra-Astaldi, MSRDC ink pact for Versova-Bandra Sea Link". Mint. 4 September 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  17. ^ "Versova-Bandra Sea Link to be connected with 3 city roads to avoid jams". Hindustan Times. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  18. ^ Mahale, Ajeet (5 September 2018). "Pact inked for Versova-Bandra Sea Link". The Hindu. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  19. ^ "Versova-Bandra sea link: SC says no to casting yard at Juhu beach". Hindustan Times. 10 May 2019. Retrieved 14 May 2019.
  20. ^ "Supreme Court rejects casting yard plea". The Asian Age. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  21. ^ "VBSL casting yard: Government files review petition in Bombay High Court". in.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  22. ^ "Versova-Bandra Sea Link: MSRDC in search of land for casting yard". in.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  23. ^ "Mumbai: Versova Bandra Sealink work affected amid COVID-19". Free Press Journal. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  24. ^ "Mumbai: WeBuild-APCO JV to construct Versova Bandra Sea Link". Free Press Journal. 23 January 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  25. ^ Shaikh, Ateeq (3 March 2014). "Global bids floated for Versova-Bandra Sea Link by MSRDC". DNA India. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  26. ^ "Bandra-Versova sea-link cost set to rise 60%". The Financial Express. 5 September 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2019.

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