Railways urges state to act fast on corridor project

The Indian Railways urged Maharashtra government to expedite the process of shifting the utilities for the proposed Churchgate-Virar elevated corridor project in Mumbai and complete it in six months. The delay by the state government in signing the state support agreement (SSA) for the project irked the railways and the Planning Commission. The railways held a meeting with the state government officials recently to discuss the implementation of the project. During the meeting, which was also attended by officials of the Planning Commission, the state government assured that the project will not be real estate driven and FSI for construction along the line will be granted keeping the congestion of the areas in mind. The state also refused to expedite the project in the absence of feasibility studies for rehabilitation of affected people and determining the exact location of the utilities which will have to be shifted during construction. The state government does not want to make haste in shifting utilities as it fears that it could later lead to damage claims by the stakeholders.