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Hindustan Times
10-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Andheri-Goregaon bridge stuck for 3 years to finally take off in August
MUMBAI: Three years after an additional bridge between Andheri West and Goregaon West was given the go-ahead, work on it is yet to begin. Awaiting permission from the Bombay high court which rolled in this May, things can now pick up speed—except for a hindrance by way of 2,500 slum tenements coming in the way. The BMC is, however, prepared with a plan to tackle them, and get the bridge work started off in August. 'This bridge will be a game changer for short-distance travel between Andheri and Goregaon, as the New Link Road is perpetually congested,' said Dhaval Shah, co-founder of the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times) The ₹499.20-crore bridge, another cable-stayed bridge that the BMC is adding to its roster, will begin at the slum-populated Shahid Bhagat Singh Nagar in Goregaon West, go over the Goregaon creek at its banks and land at Masjid As Salam Chowk in Millat Nagar, Andheri West. Offering an alternative to the congested New Link Road, it is expected to improve connectivity between Andheri, Oshiwara, Lokhandwala and Goregaon. After it was initially approved at the end of 2022 by the BMC, the bridge was in for the long haul. Passing as it did through multiple CRZ areas and No Developmental Zone (NDZ) areas due to the mangroves, marshy areas and creek present, a long list of permissions—from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), forest department and high court were awaited. Bids were invited from contractors simultaneously. While the contract cost is at ₹499.20 crore, the total projects cost, including overheads, is at ₹694 crore. A few months on, in May 2023, the MCZMA gave its clearance, on condition that the CRZ Notification, 2019 was abided by. It further asked the BMC to construct the bridge on stilts to reduce the impact on the mangroves, with a warning that local fishermen activity and the flow of creek water not be impeded and solid waste not be dumped in the creek. Due to a 2018 high court order mandating the court's prior permission to construction in mangrove and mangrove buffer zones, the BMC put in an application for HC permission in 2024, revealing that 31 mangroves would have to be felled, for which it would plant 444 mangroves as compensatory afforestation. In May 2025, when the court gave its assent, rationalising the bridge as being in the public interest. 'The project is a public utility project proposed for traffic management to smoothen the vehicular congestion and to improve direct connectivity of underdeveloped areas,' (Sic) it said. 'This bridge will be a game changer for short-distance travel between Andheri and Goregaon, as the New Link Road is perpetually congested,' said Dhaval Shah, co-founder of the Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association, who travels for 45 minutes from Lokhandwala to Goregaon daily for work. 'But its relevance depends entirely on when it does get built. If it takes ages to become reality, as it does appear, due to the slums in Bhagat Singh Nagar, the conditions may have completely changed by then. The planned Versova-Dahisar Link Road will also add connectivity between these areas, so this may not be in great demand then.' In response, a BMC official from the bridge department said that instead, the bridge would aid connectivity of the north coastal road to the surrounding area and help local connectivity. The BMC is equipped with a plan for the slums. Additional municipal commissioner Abhijeet Bangar, who visited the site on Wednesday, said, 'Excavation work on the Andheri West side will start around August. On the Goregaon side, where the slums remain to be cleared, there is an ongoing SRA project, and the developer has assured us that he will clear all the homes in the bridge's way in the next few months. All permissions are in, so we're hopeful that work will soon take off smoothly.' Next bridge: Bridge from MDP Road over Ramchandra Nalla to Ryan International School, Malad-Marve Road in Malad.
Time of India
06-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
BMC's spl care waste collection yet to take off in some wards
Mumbai: While a large number of housing societies and other establishments have registered for the Domestic Sanitary Waste and Special Care Waste Service, housing societies in some wards have complained that the BMC is yet to offer proper sanitary waste collection services in their areas. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now More than four wards, which have registered societies and establishments, are facing problems in offering proper collection services. However, the civic body attributed this to vehicle shortages and logistic issues at the ward level, which they said would be resolved soon. "An office bearer of our society in the M-East ward approached the local ward office twice in the last two months to enquire about the special collection service. However, ward officials said they are yet to start the services and would inform the society once it starts," said a member of a housing society in Govandi. A senior civic official said, "The service is registration-based as of now. A few BMC wards are facing vehicle shortages and other logistic issues, which are currently being resolved." "The BMC should send a circular to the housing societies about the service. People should be made aware of what kind of waste falls into these categories," said Rajkumar Sharma from Chembur-based advanced locality management and networking action committee (ALMANAC). Dhaval Shah, director of Andheri Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens' Association, said, "The civic body could have called a meeting of all ALMs and area residents' associations in various wards and informed them about the initiative. All we know about the initiative is through newspapers." The BMC started a dedicated domestic sanitary and special care waste collection and management service on April 22, and as of June 30, the civic body collected 61.5 tonnes of domestic sanitary and special care waste. As many as 1,919 establishments, including 1,140 housing societies, 677 beauty parlours, 27 hostels, and 75 educational institutions, registered for the collection service as of July 1. Currently, an average of 1.7 tonnes of such waste is collected daily and transported to six plasma incineration facilities within BMC jurisdiction.
Mint
23-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
PharmEasy co-founders enter home improvement space with new venture
Bengaluru/Mumbai: PharmEasy co-founders Dharmil Sheth, Dhaval Shah and Hardik Dedhia have started a new venture called 'All Home' to capture the growing home improvement and interior design market, months after exiting the online pharmacy company. The Mumbai-based company has raised an undisclosed capital from Bessemer Venture Partners at a valuation of over $120 million, its co-founder Dharmil Sheth told Mint. It also saw participation from prominent angel investors including Siddharth Shah (PharmEasy), Niket Shah (Motilal Oswal), Shalibhadra Shah (Motilal Oswal), Kabir Narang (B Capital) and Ankur Gulati (Warburg Pincus). All Home will offer brands across categories including furniture, sanitary ware, kitchen and wardrobe and home hardware to build an omni-channel platform, Sheth said. The platform is already operational and features brands such as Colour Coats and House of W and Fiamarc. Also read: Why is a $2.7 bn construction materials startup betting big on home decor? 'After roti and kapda, India's next consumer boom lies in 'makaan'. At All Home, we are building trusted brands for the way India lives, builds, and renovates—across homes, offices and urban infrastructure. Consumers are increasingly willing to invest in their living and working spaces, yet often lack access to the appropriate channels and products. Our platform aims to address this gap," the co-founders said in a statement. In January, the three executives stepped back from day-to-day operations of PharmEasy to build the new venture. This came at a critical time for the health-tech firm which has seen a steep drop in valuation in recent years. PharmEasy counts Temasek, TPG, Prosus, B Capital, GSV and Think Investments among its backers. The market for home improvement and organized furniture has been booming in India in recent years. A report by Deloitte from September 2024 noted that the country's home and household sector is expected to touch $237 billion by 2030 at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10% bolstered by shifting consumer preferences and focus on convenience. Also read: Marks & Spencer scales back its home decor business in India According to Anant Vidur Puri, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners, the home infrastructure and interior design sector in India is at a pivotal inflection point, driven by rising aspirations and disposable incomes across the country. 'Despite its size, the market remains highly fragmented and underserved, with consumers and designers facing persistent challenges around quality, transparency, and efficiency." Also read: Vedantu eyes $10–15 million from existing backers via convertible equity All Home aims to introduce a transparent procurement methodology to facilitate access to products at competitive prices. The founders have identified significant inefficiencies in the current procurement process—such as the need for designers to coordinate with multiple vendors, prolonged turnaround times, lack of design cohesion and insufficient after-sales support—which they intend to address using internet-led manufacturing and distribution, Sheth said.
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Boat to bridge: Madh-Versova link awaits green nod
MUMBAI: Envisioned in the 1967 Development Plan, the Madh-Versova bridge is finally on the verge of becoming a reality. Currently being surveyed by the Forest Department and awaiting its NOC, the BMC will then approach the Bombay High Court for its nod, and hopes to begin construction by October. With a length 2.06 km, the bridge will span the Versova creek between the Versova and Madh jetties. Currently, the quickest way to cross the creek is by boat, taking under 5 minutes and costing ₹10-15, more if there's a bike involved. But this route is not an option for four-wheelers or during the monsoon, when boats can't ply. The alternative is a 22-km, 90-minute-long drive by road through JP Road, Link Road and Mith Chowky. The Madh-Versova bridge will provide an under 5-minute alternative, at a cost of ₹2,395-3,984 crore. It will also double as a connector to the Versova end of the Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road, offering commuters from Madh, Malad and the suburbs another entry onto the Coastal Road, as well as a quick route to Versova. After remaining dormant for almost 60 years, plans for the bridge were resurrected in 2015 and tendering was done in 2019. 'We've been waiting for this bridge for over 50 years,' said Kiran Koli, a fisherman from Madh. 'Amenities such as hospitals, schools, colleges, etc, are better in Versova and all of us in Madh, Aksa, Bhatti, Erangal, will be able to access them. Even for us fishermen, diesel and ice costs more. Going to Malad for these supplies takes two hours.' Before plans could gather momentum, the Union environment ministry sent the BMC back to the drawing board, asking them to come up with a design that would minimise the impact on the environment, due to the thriving mangroves in the area. 'This is why we came up with a cable-stayed design, which reduces the number of stilts required. The stainless steel pylon – chosen so to withstand the salty sea air – will stand 100 meters high,' said an official with the BMC's bridges department. 'The alignment too was changed to ensure the approach road at Versova goes on the outskirts of the fishing villages there, so it doesn't affect them.' With the BMC finally receiving the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) nod from the central government in early 2024, they restarted the tendering process in March, and work orders were issues in September. While the contract cost is ₹2,395 crore, the remaining ₹1,598 crore is for overheads. 'The Madh-Versova bridge is crucial as it takes incredibly long to get there by road,' said Dhaval Shah, co-founder of the Andheri-Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizens Association (LOCA). 'But the BMC should ensure that road infrastructure at both ends of the bridge, in Versova and Madh, is wide and good enough to handle the volumes of traffic. The bridge will be used by those living in the northern suburbs to get to Versova and further south, as it will offer an alternative to the congested Link Road, even before the Coastal Road project is in full swing.'
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Hindustan Times
Ten years on, passengers want an upgrade to Metro-1
MUMBAI: Some may call it a success story. But for frequent users of Metro 1, their patience is wearing thin. Long wait times on narrow, overcrowded platforms and a shoulder-to-shoulder commute during peak hours in closed air-conditioned coaches is not what the city promised when it flagged off Mumbai's first metro rail corridor a decade ago. Over the last couple of days, frustration has been spilling over on this Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar metro corridor. The stations at Ghatkopar, Andheri and Marol are particularly congested. An average 114,500 commuters use Ghatkopar station daily, 83,000 Andheri, and Marol Naka and Saki Naka more than 40,000 a day. During the week, at least twice, passengers complained about stubborn queues near the automatic access control doors and being able to barely squeeze into the coaches. 'There are insane queues on Metro Line 1 at multiple stations, and you feel stuffy inside the AC metro trains during peak hours due to overcrowding. The government must intervene and at least ask the operator to increase the number of coaches,' said Andheri resident Dhaval Shah, who regularly travels on Line-1. A vital east-west connector, Line 1 runs through major commercial hubs in the suburbs. It skirts the international airport, services the area around several luxury hotels, and passes though industrial and commercial areas such as Saki Naka and Marol, not to mention busy neighbourhoods in Andheri. Moreover, Line 1 integrates with other metro rail corridors such as Lines 2A and 7, as well as the railways, an excellent example of multi-modal transport. Now it's time to upgrade. According to statistics provided by Mumbai Metro One Private Limited (MMOPL), which operates Line 1, this corridor caters to 4.55 lakh passengers daily. Footfalls have touched 5 lakh. Commuters are demanding an increase in the frequency of trains from the present 5-6 minutes. They also want coaches to be added to the trains, to increase their carrying capacity, thus bringing down wait times at metro stations. Citizen activist Zoru Bhatena summed it up best when he vented his frustration in a post on X that read: 'Decade-old Metro-1 runs packed on 4-coaches. Brand new Metro-3 runs empty on 8-coaches.' MMOPL said there were no plans to upgrade the system, blaming overcrowding on the ongoing school vacations. In a bid to justify maintaining the status quo, they claim the number of commuters on Line 1 has not risen and the line is being 'managed well'. However, the numbers rose significantly when lines 2A and 7 opened in January 2023, increasing ridership on Line 1 by around 30,000. There is no major contribution to ridership from Line-3,' said an MMOPL official. Transport experts point out that there were plans for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to take over operations of Line-1. This might have improved how the line was run. However, those plans fell through.
