Mumbai, Nov 27 (LatestNewsX) – Ashwini Bhide, who serves as Additional Chief Secretary to the Maharashtra Chief Minister and Managing Director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation, highlighted on Thursday how cornerstone projects such as the Metro and the Coastal Road are vital for keeping Mumbai’s transportation network running smoothly and efficiently.
She explained that the first hurdles—obtaining legal and environmental approvals, tackling technical difficulties, and addressing the concerns of residents—were surmounted through careful planning, open communication, coordination between multiple government bodies, and a strong engagement from the public.
During the late BG Deshmukh Memorial Lecture Series organized by the Maharashtra Chapter of the Indian Institute of Public Administration, Bhide delved into the strategy and execution that underpinned these major infrastructure works.
She gave a comprehensive overview of India’s first fully underground Metro Line‑3, running from Colaba to SEEPZ.
> “The underground Metro is not just an engineering project but an excellent example of social engineering. Despite construction in crowded residential and commercial areas for more than five years, people’s trust was retained through extensive communication and transparent updates via social media. Due to stringent safety measures and quality work, not a single untoward incident occurred during the entire construction period,” she said.
Bhide also noted that successful delivery hinged on prior planning, decisive leadership, rapid decision‑making, continuous on‑site monitoring, teamwork, advanced technology, open dialogue with citizens, a proactive problem‑solving mindset, and robust political commitment. She credited the joint efforts of Mumbai Police, BMC, Port Trust, Railways, Defence, Airport Authority, and the steady direction from the Chief Minister’s War Room.
Mumbai, the nation’s financial hub and a major source of employment, continues to experience growing population pressure. “Its limited, narrow, peninsula‑like geography has created severe stress on infrastructure, especially transportation. To reduce this burden, modern and integrated solutions like the underground metro and coastal road are essential,” she added.
She listed completed projects such as Atal Setu, the Marine Drive–Bandra‑Worli Sea Link Coastal Road, and the Navi Mumbai International Airport. Ongoing works include the Bandra–Versova, Versova–Dahisar–Bhayandar–Uttan–Virar Coastal Road, the Worli–Sewri Connector, the Western Express Highway–Samruddhi Mahamarg Link, the Borivali–Thane Tunnel, the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road, and the Orange Gate–Marine Drive Tunnel Road. Future plans encompass the Virar–Alibag Multi‑Modal Corridor and the Vadhavan Port.
Additional Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal added that building an underground metro in a metropolis like Mumbai is a formidable challenge, yet Maharashtra has succeeded. “Inspired by this success, there is now a demand to build Delhi Metro’s upcoming projects underground as well. Such projects deliver better services to citizens,” he said.
He stressed that every public servant should strive to improve citizens’ lives through cooperation and a constructive mindset.
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