JICA injects Rs. 23,136cr in metro project

The financing of Colaba-Bandra-Seepz underground Metro line has recently received clearance from Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to issue bids and to commence the construction work on the project entailing an investment worth Rs. 23,136cr, managing director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), Ashwini Bhide, said, claiming that the funding of the mega project recently received a clearance (NOC) from JICA and that the authority has already put in place certain processes and the remaining ones are being followed on war footing.

Out of the entire estimated project cost, the civil work itself was earlier estimated to cost around Rs. 10,188cr. Through negotiations and cost cutting, by way of changes in station designs, the project cost has been brought down substantially. The estimates were prepared by consultant RITES as per the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's (DMRC) specifications for the underground Metro works. In Delhi, the underground Metro stations are not at medians, but aside whereas in Mumbai, it will be at the median, and there are challenges of utilities for which stations have to be constructed deeper as compared to Delhi and also the groundwater table too is high in Mumbai as against its counterpart in Delhi and that the strata also vary in both the cities.