In a bid to improve tourism in Maharashtra and in the metropolitan region, the State Government has approved the development of a new jetty and a passenger terminal for boat rides near Radio Club in Apollo Bandar.
The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) has said that it will start the tender process for the new terminal and jetty at a later date. The project is estimated to cost around ₹100 crores. As per current estimates, the jetty will be located around 200 meters from Radio Club while it will also have a walkway with link-span, as well as a parking lot.
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“The state government is approving the development of a jetty, passenger terminal and other facilities near Radio Club on the condition that it is going to be approved under the Sagarmala scheme,” the order from the Maharashtra Home Department read.
As per the development plan of the new jetty and the terminal, boats will take citizens to places like Alibag, Elephanta Island, and Mandwa. In addition to boosting tourism, this project is also expected to ease some of the traffic at the existing jetty and terminal at the Gateway of India.
As per reports, around 30 to 35 lakh passengers visit the terminal at the Gateway of India each year. While the state maritime board had considered an extension of the jetty at the location, the Indian Navy reportedly opposed this move over security concerns.
“With this approval, a long-pending project has been cleared. We will now send it to the Centre to approve under the Sagarmala scheme. The Centre and the state will have to bear the cost of the project equally in the scheme. In the meantime, the tendering process is going to be started and work order can be issued once approved by the Centre,” CEO of the MMB, Ramaswami N said.
He also said that the state government has allocated ₹50 crores for this project in the 2021-22 budget.
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