Mumbai: Following the report on the Coastal Road project (Marine Drive to Worli) by the principal accountant general, Maharashtra which flagged a Rs 922 crore cost escalation that stemmed from a change in the bridge design at Worli experts have pointed to a recent Economic and Political Weekly (EPW) report that delves into the long-standing Worli fishing community dispute over this mega infrastructure project.
Hussain Indorewala, one of the report’s authors, said that comparing the span width with the Bandra-Worli Sea Link is flawed, as the sea link is closer to shore, while the Worli bridge extends into rougher, rockier waters. The inspection team disagreed on the need for a 120metres span, as existing records show that boats could navigate a 60m span with ease. “There was already 30m navigation span in Bandra Worli Sea Link (BWSL) and if the boat can navigate through 29 meter navigation (with clear spacing of 17 meters), the same boat can easily pass through 60m width (with clear spacing of 56 meters) and hence proposed expenditure of increase of Rs.922 crore was not justified,” stated the report.
