Thane The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) continues to be undecided about taking up ownership of the 4
The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) remains not sure approximately taking on ownership of the four.Eight-km stretch of the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) that comes in the jurisdiction of Thane city. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had sent a letter to the agency over ten days in the past regarding this, which had caused some agitation among politicians and activists.
The crux of the TMC’s subject is that its depleting coffers, that have been in bad form ever for the reason that pandemic, will now not be capable of undergo the dual burden of capital expenditure and yearly protection of the street stretch. “While we may want to manage the upkeep, MMRDA need to as a minimum contend with the expenditure incurred on the repair and resurfacing of the street before handing it over,” said TMC commissioner Abhijit Bangar. The civic leader has requested the engineering branch to review how lots the employer’s expenditure will growth because of the toll road.
Around four.Eight km of the EEH, from Anandnagar Check Naka to Majiwada Junction, passes through Thane metropolis. This stretch, which is likewise the top motorway connecting Thane to Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, witnesses heavy vehicular site visitors and encompasses the Kopri Road overbridge and three flyovers at Teen Hath Naka, Nitin Company and Cadbury Junction. Some of these flyovers are also in awful form and could want principal repairs in the close to destiny.
Bangar informed HT that a number of the patches alongside the toll plaza might also need main maintenance. “We can endure the annual preservation fee, however the capital expenditure can be too big a burden on us,” he stated. “If MMRDA includes out the repair work after which arms over the road, or at least finances the restore paintings, we are able to control it.” When puzzled, SVR Srinivas, MMRDA commissioner, reiterated that TMC were asked to take over the street and turned into purported to hold it. He did no longer, but, comment on how a good deal money MMRDA have been incurring at the annual restore of the stretch.
In September 2020 leader minister Eknath Shinde, who changed into then a cabinet minister, had issued a directive that the TMC might maintain all of the roads and flyovers in its jurisdiction whilst the funds for this would be furnished by the involved planning authority. However, the MMRDA letter keeps that the fee of the toll road should be borne through the TMC.
An officer from the engineering department claimed that retaining the dual carriageway might need Rs10 crore annually and repairing the street could fee even more. Another civic officer instructed HT that the TMC’s liabilities at gift have been ₹2,800 crore, of which ₹500-six hundred crore closer to the dues of contractors were pending. “The organization has already taken up developmental works of around ₹2,a hundred crore, so the decision to absorb new paintings needs to be financially possible,” he said.
The Eastern Express Highway is widely used by workplace-goers commuting to Mumbai. The toll road is riddled with potholes each monsoon, leading to foremost visitors congestion alongside the stretch. “The stretch after Kopri Bridge towards the Anandnagar toll plaza is in a pathetic condition, especially after a heavy spell of rain,” said Yogesh Patil, a resident of Ghodbunder. “Despite this, we are pressured to pay a toll. MMRDA and TMC need to remedy the preservation trouble and soak up major repair paintings at the highway to ease our go back and forth as a minimum by means of the following monsoon.”