Transport hub planned at Worli jetty, stay helipad project: MMB

Mumbai: Weeks after BMC finalised Raymond as a private partner for the development and operation of a helipad at Worli jetty under a public-private partnership model, Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) has asked it to stay its expression of interest (EoI) for the project, pointing out a water transport terminal is being planned there. A senior civic official, however, said a transport hub there is unfeasible since the coastal road is right next to it.In a letter to BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani, MMB said during the state budget's presentation, CM Devendra Fadnavis had announced plans to boost water transport in MMR. It said 20 terminals on 21 existing waterways are proposed to be upgraded and 24 are to be built on 11 new waterways under the Mumbai water metro project. A detailed project report has been prepared and Worli jetty is to be the site of a water transport terminal, said MMB CEO Pradeep P in the letter. Two temporary jetties were built near Worli dairy and at Amarsons Garden in Breach Candy to allow for transportation of construction material for the coastal road. Once that road work was completed, a study was carried out to see if instead of demolishing the jetties, they could be used for water transport, emergency medical water/air ambulance facilities as well as other multi-purpose public transport services, said MMB. It said IIT-Bombay undertook a structural audit and found that Worli jetty ticked all the boxes. It said the civic body was informed about this in July 2024. MMB said Maharashtra Maritime Board Act, 1996, and Indian Ports Act, 1908, grant it jurisdiction over the jetty, adding that BMC had transferred the site to it in April 2024 after coastal road's completion. The civic official said BMC had a meeting with MMB in 2024 to discuss the jetty, but it was not handed over to the maritime authority. "It is a construction jetty and not a conventional fishing one. So, it was not handed over to MMB. There is no place for constructing any transport hub there. Hence, we decided to have a helipad there, which was the only feasible option for use of the jetty. BMC has not communicated this to MMB. So, there might have been some communication gap. MMB should have been told about the helipad EoI. There is nothing beyond that."