MbPT land revamp: Gadkari pegs infra capex at Rs 5,000 cr

Mumbai, Sep 13 (PTI) The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) landdevelopment will involve an investment of Rs 5,000 crore tocreate iconic structures like Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and othertourist attractions, Union Shipping & Ports Minister NitinGadkari today said. "We want to create such a place in MbPT which will belooked up to by the world," Gadkari said at the Lokmat InfraConclave here. According to Gadkari, the plan has been routed through thestate chief minister and will now be taken to Parliament. Work will start once the approval comes by, he said,adding that total investment will be worked out after goingthrough the recommendations of the Rani Jadhav committee andsuggestions from citizens. Gadkari said further MbPT has approached the Centre forrecognition as a planning authority that will make it easierto execute work. Mumbai Port Trust Chairman Sanjay Bhatia later explainedthat the Rs 5,000-crore figure mentioned by the minister isfor total ‘infrastructure development’ and some part of it maycome from private parties. The port trust will be developing 500 hectares of its1,800-hectare land holding as part of the ambitious project.Of this, 150 hectares have been identified to be developedfirst, he said. A tender has been floated to hire internationalconsultants for a masterplan. Bhatia said a bulk of the investment in the initialphase will be done by the government which may go up toRs 1,000 crore. This will be for constructing a centralgovernment offices (CGO) complex, a marina, walkway, an ecopark, entertainment hub, and skating rink, among other things. The port will also be raising resources by selling offsome of its large land parcels. The idea, according to Gadkari, is to have magnificentstructures like Burj Khalifa of Dubai or the Singaporewaterfront which will give the financial capital its rightfulplace on the world map. (MORE) PTI AA PSK BEN NSKARDRDS