Mumbai Metro III rehab plan begins in Girgaum-Kalbadevi

Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) managing director Ashwini Bhide said the corporation will undertake the redevelopment project of nineteen buildings affected by the Metro III corridor in Girgaum and Kalbadevi. The MMRCL is executing the 33km Colaba-SEEPZ underground Metro project. The buildings will be redeveloped under the policy for old and dilapidated buildings. The estimated cost of redevelopment of the structures, which are spread over 8600 sq m, is Rs 700 crore. Girgaum, Kalbadevi will have two Metro stations around 700-800m apart. The stations are being constructed on Jagannath Sunkersett Marg. In this area the road witdh is around 11m and under the draft Development Plan 2034 there is a plan to widen it up to 24.1m. The commercial and residential components will be separately rehabilitated. Currently, the ground level of these buildings is occupied by commercial units. While the commercial component comprising 341 units will be spread over two plots, the residents comprising 293 families will be housed as one cluster. The redevelopment is required for the two Metro stations—Girgaum and Kalbadevi—to be constructed. Bhide announced the appointment of G D Sambhare and R H Mahimatura as architects to provide design and project management consultancy services for the Kalbadevi-Girgaum in-situ rehabilitation scheme. They are being appointed at a cost of Rs 6.21 crore for a period of four years. “Since these are cessed buildings, they are being redeveloped under the scheme for old and dilapidated buildings. The residents are being offered rent or an alternative accommodation,” she said.