» Click here...

February 8, 2010

Magh Krushna Dashami, Kaliyug Varsha 5111

Mumbai: India's public enemy No 1, Ajmal Kasab, continues to cause problems for India's financial capital. Crores of rupees will have to be spent on tweaking plans for the Mumbai monorail for the stretch along Arthur Road jail due to the trial and incarceration of the terrorist there.

While no official estimate is being given for how much the monorail's cost will increase due to Kasab, an engineer for the company building the track revealed that the cost along the 720-metre stretch could rise by as much as 45% to 50%. If it takes Rs 123 crore to build 1km of monorail track, 720m would cost around Rs 88 crore. This means the Arthur Road jail stretch of the monorail would cost around Rs 39 crore to Rs 44 crore more.

The track in question would run from Arthur Road police chowky to Ganacharya Square along Sane Guruji Road.

While officials said underground utilities and traffic arrangements on the six-lane road (three lanes either way) will also cause the plans to change, security concerns due to Kasab's presence are the main reason for changes to the design and foundation. In fact, work on a two-kilometre stretch near the jail has been held up by five to six months because plans have not been finalized.

The monorail track will be shifted away from the jail so that passengers can't get a view of the premises or throw anything into the jail, officials said. There are fears that other terrorists would want Kasab dead so they can silence him. Also, the height of the monorail track, usually eight metres, will be reduced, perhaps to 6.75m.

Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) joint commissioner Ashwini Bhide said site-specific changes in foundations and design are continuously made to adapt the monorail to specific locations, but at Arthur Road jail, security was the main reason. Bhide said the cost of the changes made due to security, utilities or traffic movement could not be immediately assessed. He added that costs also decrease at some sites, thus levelling the overall cost.

Officials told TOI that they would assess the underground utilities and draw up a final design to be submitted for approval of the authorities concerned, including Mumbai police, in whose custody Kasab is at Arthur Road jail.

"There are possibilities of completely changing the alignment of the track, but if the height is lowered and the foundation shifted a bit, the matter would be resolved," said an official working at the site.

Additional commissioner of police (security and coordination) Naval Bajaj, who recently took charge, said he would study the matter before commenting.

Interestingly, a senior MMRDA officer pointed out that monorail coaches are completely enclosed, mostly by glass, so there's no scope for anti-social elements to throw objects into the jail premises. When asked about the view into the premises, the officer said internet sites offering satellite pictures give such views anyway.

A 20-km monorail is expected to benefit over 2.5 lakh commuters from Jacob Circle to Wadala to Chembur as the route does not have too many rail, bus or Metro routes. It would have 18 stations, with 15 trains running during the day. Each train would have four to six rakes.

Source: TOI

Also See

	Hang terrorist Mohd Afzal Mohammad Afzal is a Kashmiri terrorist who attacked parliament in 2000. Supreme court has given death sentence but congress is protecting this anti-Indian. Read more
	Hindu Genocide in Kashmir & Bangladesh Online photo exhibition of Hindu genocide and temples destruction in Kashmir by local Muslims. Series of exhibitions being arranged. Read more