New year has brought bonanza to Mumbai. The capital of Maharashtra will get Rs 73,367 crore for various infrastructure projects this year.

Some of the key projects include the Rs 13,000 crore Mumbai coastal road, Rs11,500 crore Mumbai trans harbour link (MTHL),Rs 23,136 crore Mumbai metro III corridor - Cuffe Parade to SEEPZ, Rs 4,994 crore 18.5-km Dahisar to DN Nagar, Rs 4,737 crore 16.5-km Dahisar east to Andheri east and Rs 16,000 crore Navi Mumbai International Airport.
 
State chief minister,Devendra Fadnavis is targeting completion of these flagship projects during calendar year 2019, at the time when elections to the state Assembly will be held.

Instead of the Rs 5,000-crore Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link project earlier awarded to the Reliance industries led consortium during the Congress regime in 2010, the BJP-Shiv Sena government has now decided to go ahead with 35.6-km coastal road connecting south and north Mumbai. A major hurdle was crossed last week after the forest advisory committee gave its nod for the coastal road. As the project will require 168.08 hectares to be reclaimed for its construction, a nod was given with a rider that that 91 hectares of green space will be created and that there is no be real estate development along the coast. Tenders for the coastal road will be issued by June.

For the 22-km MTHL, connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, tenders for MTHL will be issued by March. The chief minister said the government this month will reach a financial closure with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which has desired to provide 80% loan. The state undertaking Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is the nodal agency.

In case of Navi Mumbai international airport, CIDCO( City and Industrial Development Corporation), is the  nodal agency and  hopes to issue request for proposal (RFP) by April  and give the contract by June. The first phase with annual passenger handling capacity of 10 million will be commissioned by December 2019.

According to CIDCO vice chairman and managing director Sanjay Bhatia pre-development work on the Navi Mumbai international airport will commence in February with the diversion of the Ulwe river, clearing, levelling and reclamation of marshy land, raising the level of land to 5.5 metre above sea level and relocation of power lines.

Work on the three metro corridors is expected to be awarded after June. Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, which is a JV between the government of India and the state hopes to launch the construction of Mumbai Metro III and Dahisar to D N Nagar and Dahisar east to Andheri east routes after June. The projects will be completed by 2019.