TMC reluctant to take over highway from MMRDA

Thane The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) is still undecided about taking over ownership of the 4

Thane

Thane, India - October 11, 2022: Several stretches on the 4.8-kilometre Eastern Express Highway are found in pathethic condition, near Jupiter Hospital, Majiwada, in Thane, Mumbai, India, on Tuesday, October 11, 2022. (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) is still undecided about taking over ownership of the 4.8-km stretch of the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) that comes within the jurisdiction of Thane city. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had sent a letter to the corporation over ten days ago regarding this, which had led to some agitation among politicians and activists.

The crux of the TMC’s concern is that its depleting coffers, which have been in bad shape ever since the pandemic, will not be able to bear the twin burden of capital expenditure and yearly maintenance of the road stretch. “While we could manage the maintenance, MMRDA should at least take care of the expenditure incurred on the repair and resurfacing of the road before handing it over,” said TMC commissioner Abhijit Bangar. The civic chief has asked the engineering department to review how much the corporation’s expenditure will increase due to the highway.

Around 4.8 km of the EEH, from Anandnagar Check Naka to Majiwada Junction, passes through Thane city. This stretch, which is also the prime highway connecting Thane to Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, witnesses heavy vehicular traffic 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 bad shape and will need major repairs in the near future.

Bangar told HT that some of the patches along the toll plaza would also need major repairs. “We can bear the annual maintenance cost, but the capital expenditure will be too big a burden on us,” he said. “If MMRDA carries out the repair work and then hands over the road, or at least funds the repair work, we can manage it.” When questioned, SVR Srinivas, MMRDA commissioner, reiterated that TMC had been asked to take over the road and was supposed to maintain it. He did not, however, comment on how much money MMRDA had been incurring on the annual repair of the stretch.

In September 2020 chief minister Eknath Shinde, who was then a cabinet minister, had issued a directive that the TMC would maintain all the roads and flyovers in its jurisdiction while the funds for this would be provided by the concerned planning authority. However, the MMRDA letter maintains that the cost of the highway should be borne by the TMC.

An officer from the engineering department claimed that maintaining the highway would need Rs10 crore annually and repairing the road would cost even more. Another civic officer told HT that the TMC’s liabilities at present were ₹2,800 crore, of which ₹500-600 crore towards the dues of contractors were pending. “The corporation has already taken up developmental works of around ₹2,100 crore, so the decision to take up new work needs to be financially viable,” he said.

The Eastern Express Highway is widely used by office-goers commuting to Mumbai. The highway is riddled with potholes every monsoon, leading to major traffic congestion along 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 forced to pay a toll. MMRDA and TMC need to resolve the maintenance issue and take up major repair work on the highway to ease our commute at least by the next monsoon.”