PM to bring in a showering of infrastructure projects
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence in Mumbai in the coming week on January 19th is expected to bring about multiple projects in the city.
Among these are: seven sewage treatment plants (STP) at different locations across the city; the PM SVANidhi scheme, offering loans to street vendors; bhoomipujan of concrete roads worth Rs 6,000 crore; and the laying of foundation stones for the reconstruction of two civic hospitals. Phase 2 of the metro lines 2A, and 7 may also be on the cards, as well as Navi Mumbai’s metro stretch between Central Park and Belapur stations. The visit will kickstart campaigning for the long-delayed Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
Source: The Times of India
4,000 affordable homes to go up in lottery
The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) will soon announce a lottery for more than 4,000 affordable homes in the city. The apartments range between 300 sq ft to 600 sq ft in size, each in either the low, middle, or high-income group.
After online registration, the lottery – tentatively in February – will choose who gets the chance to buy a house. The economically weaker section (EWS), ie. those who earn lesser than Rs 5 lakh annually, will have 50% of the flats reserved in Goregaon. The limit is Rs 9 lakh for the low-income slab, Rs 12 lakh for the middle section, and over and above for the high-income group. The cost of the houses is yet to be determined.
Source: Moneycontrol
A zero-waste and zero-effluent Thane station
The Thane railway station inaugurated a 45-kilolitre (KL) STP this past Wednesday. It will treat sewage from the railway colony, offices and hospital to recycle 40 KL of reusable water every day, to be used for gardening, platform cleaning, washing trains, sanitising toilets, etc. Additionally, it will generate 100 kg of compost every month.
The STP is a step towards making the station a zero-waste and zero-effluent facility, reducing the burden on existing STPs and municipal water consumption by 60 percentage. The compost will be used in railway gardens, nurseries, and given to railway staff.
Source: Mid-day
Read more: Traffic woes around Thane station road a never-ending problem
Mumbai to Navi Mumbai in 15 mins from November
With 90% of the civil work on the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Bridge (MTHL) complete, the ride between Sewri and Navi Mumbai can come down to a mere 15-20 minutes by the end of this year.
The six-lane, 22-km, Rs 17,000 bridge is purported to be the longest sea bridge in the country, as 16.5 km is over water. It will have an open road tolling system, doing away with the need for toll booths and allowing for the continuous stream of vehicles, 70,000 of which are expected daily. The bridge will also have a deck to watch the migratory birds, including flamingos, landing in the Sewri mudflats.
Source: Moneycontrol
Mahalaxmi racecourse to Mulund? Not yet
While there is plenty of noise around the possible shifting of the Mahalaxmi racecourse to the Mulund ex-garbage dump, nothing is official as of yet.
The state urban development (UD) department has promised to send a proposal for the same soon, giving Mulund residents hope for a bump in the price of their properties. SoBo residents may get a theme park in return. The idea has been met with widespread opposition from the Opposition and NGOs, defending the present open space. Others, namely Royal Western India Turf Club (RWITC), suspect it is just a political stunt.
Source: Hindustan Times
[Compiled by Sabah Virani.]