Maharashtra asks Centre to fund part of eight Metro rail projects in Mumbai

The state government has asked the Centre for financial help for its Metro rail projects in Mumbai.

The state has undertaken eight Metro projects, for which it is investing Rs1.47 lakh crore. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the Centre has promised financial help, after a review meeting with Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu regarding the Centre’s schemes being funded by the ministry.

The chief minister said that he had requested the urban development minister to help with the Metro rail projects being undertaken by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), a state-owned company. “We have asked for some help from the Centre. The UDD minister has assured us of a cabinet policy for financial assistance. We are expecting the Centre to bear 10-25% of the share,” he said.

Of the eight projects, work on three projects is going on, the tendering process has started for two projects and the rest are in the planning stage.

Naidu said that Maharashtra will have an operational 360-km Metro rail network in the next five to six years. The state government is coming up with nine Metro projects and investing Rs1.47 lakh crore. “There will be one crore daily passengers. The Centre will extend its help wherever possible,” he said.

The Centre is already investing Rs 20,100 crore for the Nagpur and Pune metro projects, which is 42% of its total investment (Rs 48,000 crore) approved for metro projects across the country in the last three years, he added.

The Union minister also stressed on building cycle tracks in all the cities.

“The youth need to know that cycling is good exercise. We need cycle tracks in all cities. The state government should try to make it mandatory to have these tracks wherever possible. Pedestrian parks are also important,” Naidu said.

He said that the National Centre of Excellence in animation, visual effects, gaming and comics (AVGC) will come up in Mumbai as the state government had allotted 20 acres of land here. “We have also received bids for it,” Naidu said.

He added that the Centre will inaugurate the National Museum for Indian Cinema (NMIC), the first national museum of its kind, very soon.