Bogged down by uncertainty………Chittaranjan Tembhekar
Monsoon,Shallow Seas Made Waterway Projects Unattractive For Bidders In Past
Monsoon,Shallow Seas Made Waterway Projects Unattractive For Bidders In Past
Mumbai: An exasperated Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan,upset over the delay in implementing infrastructure projects in the city,on Monday remarked that he has been hearing about Mumbais waterway proposals since his college days.Chavan studied science and management from 1972-77,and it was around that time that unsuccessful attempts to start inter- and intracity water transport projects started in the Mumbai region.
In 1972-73,Cidco started a hover marine service between Ferry Wharf and Vashi which lasted just a few days.In 1976-77,the MMRDA proposed a service with a jetty in Thane creek,but the plan never took off.Chavans father,the late S B Chavan,was chief minister from 1975-77 and must have witnessed these early bumbling attempts at getting a waterway going.
Since then,at least five different studies have either shot down or given the thumbs-up for waterways on the east and west coasts of the city,but nothing much has happened to date.
While the east coast has always got a green signal from consultants,the west coast waterway was initially shot down due to shallow seas near the coast,which would require jetties to extend into the sea.Also,the four months of monsoon made the projects financially unviable and pending environmental clearances also dampened bidders interest.
Tenders floated early on by the Mumbai Maritime Board and Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) failed to attract bids.But environmental clearances in the late 1990s paved the way for bidding.
The turning point for both waterways came in 2007 when a Comprehensive Transportation Study (CTS) for the entire metropolitan regioncovering rail,road and seasaid that the waterways were not only feasible,but necessary for a city that is increasingly seeing its residents live in far-flung suburbs or in neighbouring towns.The study,commissioned by MMRDA,also said that commuters were interested in waterways,especially on the west coast.
However,owing to legal complications,the state cancelled the contract given to Satyagiri Shipping in 2008.
In the CTS,over 2 lakh commuters in the western suburbs favoured water transport over road and rail.On the western seafront,the total daily passenger use,estimated for the base year 2005 and horizon year 2031,was 97,000 and 1.39 lakh,respectively,for catamarans and 89,000 and 1.27 lakh for hovercrafts.
These bidders have requested relaxed conditions.We are considering the options to make it financially attractive, said an MSRDC source.Transport expert Ashok Datar said,I agree that shallow water and the monsoon are problems for the financial and technical feasibility aspects.But the state must devise a financial model taking into account these problems to create interest among bidders. He added that waterways cause less pollution than road traffic.
Interestingly,there seemed to be poor interest from passengers from areas like Navi Mumbai,Thane and the island city,according to the CTS.The total daily usage estimated for the base year 2006 and horizon year 2031 was 6,653 and 10,391 passengers,respectively,for catamarans and 5,895 and 10,068 for hovercrafts.
WEST COAST PROJECT GATHERS STEAM
* MSRDC has invited bids,for which May 30 is the deadline.Winning bidder will get two years to start the service
* Entire project is expected to cost around Rs 1,200 crore
* Deadlines for bids have been extended thrice,but that has been blamed on the past financial lowdown.Currently, around 22 private companies have bought tender forms
* The stations would be at Nariman Point,Bandra,Juhu,Versova,Marve and Borivali.Charkop would have a maintenance and repair station
* The catamaran or hovercrafts should accommodate up to 300 passengers and travel at speeds higher than 30 knots.But initially,seven to eight hovercrafts with a 100-passenger capacity would be commissioned
* Vessels would travel every 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours and at 30-minute intervals at other times
* Hovercrafts should cover the Borivili-Nariman Point distance in 50 minutes and follow pollution norms
* Services have to run for a minimum of 300 days in a calendar year
* Facilities to be provided include terminal buildings,waiting halls,cafeterias,restaurants,book stalls,fire fighting and safety wings,navigational aids,communication system
* The winning bidder will get 30 years to recover the investment and earn profits.After that,MSRDC will operate the waterway
* Entire project is expected to cost around Rs 1,200 crore
* Deadlines for bids have been extended thrice,but that has been blamed on the past financial lowdown.Currently, around 22 private companies have bought tender forms
* The stations would be at Nariman Point,Bandra,Juhu,Versova,Marve and Borivali.Charkop would have a maintenance and repair station
* The catamaran or hovercrafts should accommodate up to 300 passengers and travel at speeds higher than 30 knots.But initially,seven to eight hovercrafts with a 100-passenger capacity would be commissioned
* Vessels would travel every 10 to 15 minutes during peak hours and at 30-minute intervals at other times
* Hovercrafts should cover the Borivili-Nariman Point distance in 50 minutes and follow pollution norms
* Services have to run for a minimum of 300 days in a calendar year
* Facilities to be provided include terminal buildings,waiting halls,cafeterias,restaurants,book stalls,fire fighting and safety wings,navigational aids,communication system
* The winning bidder will get 30 years to recover the investment and earn profits.After that,MSRDC will operate the waterway
BACK TO DRAWING BOARD FOR EAST
* On the eastern seafront,the MSRDC recently pulled out and the MMRDA is now drawing up plans for a tender
* The contractor would have to run catamarans or hovercrafts from Ferry Wharf in Mumbai to Belapur,Vashi,Nerul and Mandva on the mainland.Later,there would also be services to JNPT and Uran
* Each craft would be able to carry 150 to 300 passengers.It is not known if the services can be run during the monsoon
* MMRDA also plans roll-on and roll-off services that would allow commuters to load cars on boats and take them to Mandwa
* The MMRDA has allocated Rs 100 crore for the overall project in the 2010-11 budget.MMRDA will develop passenger terminals at Vashi,Nerul,Belapur,Mandwa and Ferry Wharf,and subsequently in JNPT and Uran
* A tender will be issued inviting bidders,but ticketing would be controlled by the state government,said MMRDA officers
* The contractor would have to run catamarans or hovercrafts from Ferry Wharf in Mumbai to Belapur,Vashi,Nerul and Mandva on the mainland.Later,there would also be services to JNPT and Uran
* Each craft would be able to carry 150 to 300 passengers.It is not known if the services can be run during the monsoon
* MMRDA also plans roll-on and roll-off services that would allow commuters to load cars on boats and take them to Mandwa
* The MMRDA has allocated Rs 100 crore for the overall project in the 2010-11 budget.MMRDA will develop passenger terminals at Vashi,Nerul,Belapur,Mandwa and Ferry Wharf,and subsequently in JNPT and Uran
* A tender will be issued inviting bidders,but ticketing would be controlled by the state government,said MMRDA officers
38 YEARS OF SAILING NOWHERE
* In 1972-73,Cidco started Mumbais first waterway project with a hover marine service on the east side,between Ferry Wharf and Vashi.It lasted just a few days
* In 1976-77,MMRDA planned an inland transport service with a port and jetty in Thane creek.The plan didnt take off
* The Vice Admiral N P Dutta committee reported in 1982 that the project was not feasible for the west coast (especially during the monsoon),because of shallow waters near the coastline.Jetties would have to be built in the sea
* The same committee reported that the project was possible on the east side,between Ferry Wharf and Vashi,Gateway of India and Uran,and Colaba and Navi Mumbai
* Between 1980 and 1985,private boat and catamaran operators started services between Ferry Wharf and Vashi,and Gateway of India and Belapur.They lasted for about a decade
* From 1988 to 1990,a joint venture of private companies started hovercraft operations from Juhu to Belapur via Nariman Point,but stopped due to financial problems
* Between 1988 and 1990,Cidcos Kirloskar Consultants and W S Atkins,the consultants for a transport study for the Mumbai region,recommended fast ferry services to Navi Mumbai
* In 1992,the east and west coast projects were transferred from the Mumbai Maritime Board to MSRDC
* In 1994-95,the MSRDCs consultants said that both east and west coast projects were possible.However,there was insufficient response to two tenders
* In the late 1990s,environment clearances were got for jetties on the east and west coasts
* A comprehensive transport study,done from 2005-07 and commissioned by the MMRDA for the metropolitan region,said both waterways were feasible and needed
* In 2008,a contract awarded to Satyagiri Shipping for west coast transport was cancelled by the state after legal controversies and consortium issues
* In 2009,MSRDC issued another tender inviting bids for the west coast project.The deadline is May 30,2010
* In February 2010,MSRDC abandoned plans to run a service between Colaba and Nerul due to non-availability of land.The MMRDA is now planning ferry services for the east side
* In 1976-77,MMRDA planned an inland transport service with a port and jetty in Thane creek.The plan didnt take off
* The Vice Admiral N P Dutta committee reported in 1982 that the project was not feasible for the west coast (especially during the monsoon),because of shallow waters near the coastline.Jetties would have to be built in the sea
* The same committee reported that the project was possible on the east side,between Ferry Wharf and Vashi,Gateway of India and Uran,and Colaba and Navi Mumbai
* Between 1980 and 1985,private boat and catamaran operators started services between Ferry Wharf and Vashi,and Gateway of India and Belapur.They lasted for about a decade
* From 1988 to 1990,a joint venture of private companies started hovercraft operations from Juhu to Belapur via Nariman Point,but stopped due to financial problems
* Between 1988 and 1990,Cidcos Kirloskar Consultants and W S Atkins,the consultants for a transport study for the Mumbai region,recommended fast ferry services to Navi Mumbai
* In 1992,the east and west coast projects were transferred from the Mumbai Maritime Board to MSRDC
* In 1994-95,the MSRDCs consultants said that both east and west coast projects were possible.However,there was insufficient response to two tenders
* In the late 1990s,environment clearances were got for jetties on the east and west coasts
* A comprehensive transport study,done from 2005-07 and commissioned by the MMRDA for the metropolitan region,said both waterways were feasible and needed
* In 2008,a contract awarded to Satyagiri Shipping for west coast transport was cancelled by the state after legal controversies and consortium issues
* In 2009,MSRDC issued another tender inviting bids for the west coast project.The deadline is May 30,2010
* In February 2010,MSRDC abandoned plans to run a service between Colaba and Nerul due to non-availability of land.The MMRDA is now planning ferry services for the east side