BMC Budget 2023: Mumbai Coastal Road, GMLR projects get massive funding boost

For yet another year, the BMC has made major allocations to big ticket infrastructure projects like the Mumbai Coastal Road and the Goregaon Mulund Link Road (GMLR).

In the 2023-24 BMC budget announced on Saturday, the Coastal Road project has been allocated Rs 3,545 crores. Similarly, a budget provision of Rs 1,060 crore has been made for the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road project.

The civic body has allocated Rs 27,247 crore for capital expenditure which includes spending on development projects for betterment of the city like roads, storm water drains and water projects.

While announcing the outlay, BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal said, "For the first time in the history of BMC, capital expenditure is more than revenue."

Coastal Road and GMLR

The Mumbai Coastal Road, being undertaken between Nariman Point and Worli is now 70% complete.

The entire project has been divided into three packages and involves reclamation of 111 hectares of the Arabian Sea. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) now plans to connect the Coastal Road with the Eastern Freeway via a tunnel.

When the project took off in 2018, its overall cost was calculated at Rs 12,700 crore, but has escalated owing to delays. With nearly a year to go before completion, the final figure may go up further.

The GMLR is the fourth major link that will connect eastern and western suburbs and is currently being implemented in four phases.

The total length of the GMLR is 12.20 km, which includes 6.3 km of tunnels, a 4.37 km elevated flyover, and 1.53 km of at-grade road. This link between the Eastern and Western Suburbs will not only relieve traffic congestion in the Mumbai Suburbs, but also reduce travel time from 75 minutes to 20 - 25 minutes.