Maharashtra Budget session 2024: Govt to boost Mumbai connectivity with MMR, rest of India

The eastern freeway is to be extended up to Thane. File pic

The interim budget proposed by the state government on Tuesday has a provision for projects to provide better connectivity in and around Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The proposal mentions a coastal road up to Palghar, an eastern freeway extension to Thane and a multimodal corridor for Virar-Alibaug. Apart from roadways, the proposal also mentions projects for enhanced sea connectivity, with a new port to be developed near Elephanta and a well-equipped jetty near the Gateway of India. For skill development, a leather park at Deonar and a modern training and skill development facility at Worli have been proposed.

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State Finance Minister and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, while presenting the interim budget, said that the Swatantrya Veer Savarkar Versova-Bandra Sea Bridge will be extended to Palghar, while the Vilasrao Deshmukh Eastern Freeway will be extended to Thane city. He also mentioned land acquisition for the Virar-Alibaug multimodal corridor at a total estimated cost of Rs 22,225 crore, adding that land acquisition for India's first bullet train - the Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed rail project - is almost complete in Maharashtra. The proposal includes port development works to be undertaken at Elephanta at a cost of Rs 88 crore, apart from Rs 229 crore proposed for the construction of a well-equipped jetty at Radio Club near the Gateway of India, under the Sagarmala scheme.

The interim budget also mentioned plans to develop a leather park at Deonar and an industrial training centre for leather at Govandi, through the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, apart from a modern training and skill development facility at Worli. The tender process for work of setting up a unity mall in Navi Mumbai, at a cost of Rs 196 crore is in progress, under the ‘Make in India' initiative, based on the ‘One District One Product' concept.