Key Points

The project-affected people of the Thane to Borivali double tunnel project should be permanently rehabilitated. The Chief Minister also instructed to complete the double tunnel project by December 2028.

The Chief Minister reviewed the Thane to Borivali double tunnel project today. He said that the double tunnel will be 11.84 kilometres long, adding that air should be kept moving in the tunnel. For this, action should be taken immediately to provide additional space in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. He pointed out that permission from the Forest Department for the second phase of the project and approval to work at night should be obtained.

In order to speed up the work on the Borivali side and to rehabilitate the project-affected people on this side, an action plan should be implemented, and the work should be completed within a month. He further directed that the agencies should coordinate and appoint an officer to rehabilitate the project victims by paying rent or in other housing projects. “The concerned officer should take action within a month and complete the rehabilitation,” he said.

A government official said that the Thane to Borivali double tunnel is 11.84 km long, and the project will be built in two packages, adding that there will be a 5.75 km package one on the Borivali side and a 6.09 km package two on the Thane side. “The total cost of the project is expected to be Rs 12,057 crore, with package one costing Rs 6,178 crore and package two costing Rs 5,879 crore,” he said.

The official said that after the project is completed, carbon emissions will be reduced by 1.4 lakh metric tons per year. “It takes one to one and a half hours to travel from Thane to Borivali on the existing road. After the tunnel is completed, this time will come down to 15 minutes. It will also save a lot of fuel,” he said.

- IANS