Coastal road project: Worli jetty helipad gets go-ahead
Mumbai: BMC's ambitious multimodal transport plan under the
Mumbai Coastal Road project
received a boost with
Pawan Hans Ltd
— a Govt of India enterprise — clearing the feasibility of constructing a
medium-sized helipad
at Worli Jetty. BMC will now appoint a consultant to help secure mandatory clearances from the civil aviation, defence, and Union ministry of environment and forests.
Discussions with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are already underway, civic officials said.The helipad was first proposed in March by deputy CM Eknath Shinde.Simultaneously, BMC is preparing to open the final arm of the coastal road's Haji Ali interchange, connecting traffic from Worli to Marine Drive and terminating at Lotus Jetty, and will soon \write to the traffic police for an NOC.
The adjoining 550m-long vehicular underpass beneath Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan Road in Worli is also ready and may be opened by May 15.In another development, BMC has nearly finalised the agency for the beautification and development of the open spaces along the Mumbai Coastal Road — from Nepean Sea Road to Worli. The contract is likely to be awarded later this month. In Jan, BMC had floated an Expression of Interest (EOI) for landscaping, gardens, and promenade development along the corridor. The EOI states that this will require no financial commitment from BMC, and the company developing it will not receive anything in return. Civic officials said the shortlisted company may have to invest around Rs 1,000 crore. Current rules prohibit any advertising on the 70-hectare stretch of open land reclaimed for the project.
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