News: Mumbai commuters can expect smooth sail to work

(DNA 16/05/2006) Mumbai - Jam-packed trains in rush hours, bumper-to-bumper traffic all the way to south Mumbai.. Commuters from the western suburbs have long learnt to live with them. But soon, their daily travails will be replaced by the everyday bliss of riding the Arabian waters to work.

The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) on Monday permitted the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to start ferry services between Nariman Point and Marve beach. The permission was given after MSRDC submitted a detailed geo-technical and sub-soil analyses of the two sites.

With this, all six locations have been cleared from where Inland Passenger Water Transport (IPWT) would start operating in two years. The other places, which got environment clearance five months ago, are Bandra, Juhu, Versova and Borivali.

“Now that we have received environment clearance, services should start,” said a senior MSRDC official. The corporation will now issue a formal letter awarding the contract to a consortium, led by M/s Satyagiri Shipping, to start building jetties and terminal buildings at the six sites.

IDFC, Dena Bank, Videocon International, Hiranandani Group and KSMC Financial Services Ltd, ABS Hovercraft Ltd, UK, and Gammon India Ltd are members of the consortium which won the bid by quoting the highest lease rent of Rs1,000 crore.

Managing director of Satyagiri Shipping Nitin Joshi said the company was still to receive a copy of the MoEF letter of clearance.

Cruise to your office

Project to be implemented on build-operate-transfer basis for a concessional period of 30 years

Travel time from Borivali to Nariman Point is expected to be reduced by half

Catamarans and hovercraft to be used

Jetties to have waiting halls and cafeterias

Project expects to ferry around 100,000 passengers every day