Mumbai, March 17 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday directed officials to identify sites for developing shipyards to accelerate water passenger transport in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
This initiative aims to facilitate the indigenous construction of boats required for the "Water Metro" project. He was speaking at the meeting to review the government’s initiatives on water transport.
The CM emphasised that boats for water transport should be built in Maharashtra’s own shipyards. He instructed the administration to develop the country’s largest shipyard facility without compromising on quality standards. The second phase of the project will focus on executing these manufacturing plans.
The Mumbai Water Metro Project aims to provide a smooth, sustainable, and affordable transport system through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, said a government release.
The project envisages 11 new waterways and 24 new terminals (215 km), modernisation of 21 existing routes and 20 terminals (125 km) covering a total network of 340 km across MMR. It will handle 7.5 crore passengers annually by 2031, said the government release.
According to the government release, the private operators will operate 207 Electric/Hybrid vessels with an estimated cost of Rs 3,156 crore, while the Maharashtra Maritime Board’s investment in infrastructure development is estimated at Rs 3,436 crore. The first phase will involve an expenditure of Rs 1,500 crore. Shipyards are proposed to be developed at Nandgaon, Dighi, and Vijaydurg.
The Maharashtra Maritime Board has signed MoUs aligned with the Central Government's "Building Cluster" policy to involve reputed public and private players in shipbuilding.
Earlier in the Maharashtra State Budget 2026-27 on Friday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis outlined a major shift in urban governance, projecting that 70 per cent of the state’s population will live in urban areas by 2047 and contribute nearly 80 per cent of Maharashtra’s GDP.
The state aims to expand the Metro network to 1,200 km and the expressway network to more than 6,000 km. Key projects in Mumbai include Metro Line 11 (Wadala to Gateway of India), a fully underground corridor estimated to cost Rs 23,487 crore. ,
--IANS
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