Slow-paced work delays 17-km long Bandra-Versova Sea-Link by 3 years

According to the officials of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC)from 2018- a year when two firms were shortlisted for its construction till now, only 5% civil work has been completed

MUMBAI: Considered as an important link to connect south and north Mumbai, the 17-km Bandra-Versova SeaLink (BVSL) is moving at a snail’s pace since the time its construction dawned in 2019. Part of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project, BVSL’s deadline has now been revised to December 2026 from its earlier estimated completion time of 2023.

What contributed to the delay is a barrage of allegations including slow-paced work by the previous contractors. According to the officials of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC)from 2018- a year when two firms were shortlisted for its construction till now, only 5% civil work has been completed.

The BVSL is part of the Mumbai Coastal Road project wherein, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is constructing a coastal road by reclamation between Princess Street Flyover and Worli. From here on, motorists will be able to connect with WorliBandra Sea-Link (WBSL) by which further a 17-km-long sea link is being constructed between Bandra and Versova, as part of the Mumbai Coastal Road Project. To extend it further, a proposal of Versova to Virar 40-km-long Sea-Link is proposed, but that is still on paper. The construction of Coastal Road between south Mumbai and Worli began around the same in October 2018, a month after two contractors for construction of Bandra-Versova Sea-Link were shortlisted.

However, over three years later, 50% civil works for ₹12,000 crore coastal road by the BMC is completed, compared to only 5% civil works for BVSL being undertaken by the

MSRDC. The coastal road project being constructed by the BMC is expected to be opened for traffic by the end of 2023. According to MSRDC officials, in January, they gave permission to the two contractors appointed earlier to handover the contract to two other firms.