By ME Bureau

Just when all decks were cleared for the ambitious Mumbai Trans Harbour Link(MTHL), Union Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari seems to have a different opinion on it. At a function held in city recently Nitin Gadkari suggested a submarine tunnel instead of 22-km long bridge for the MTHL. He said, “There are many plans which have come forward. The plan to construct a sea link was first prepared when I was a minister in the state government in 1995-2000. But various alternatives have come forward now.”

There have been media reports that Gadkari and Fadnavis have differences of opinion on many projects in the city, especially the Rs 8,800-crore Mumbai Trans-harbour link (MTHL) which will link the city with the country's largest container port JNPT across the harbour on the eastern seafront.Terming reports of his differences with Gadkari as baseless, Fadnavis also said there are alternatives that can be discussed, while Gadkari said the Centre will accept the final decision on this issue of the state government which is executing the project.

Gadkari, during his tenure in the state government, had a reputation for not indulging in politics when it comes to development work, Fadnavis said. Gadkari cited 'pushback' technology used for connectivity between the Dutch port of Rotterdam and Belgium, where they have built a tunnel which is cheaper than a bridge. An underwater tunnel will also be better from the aesthetic perspective, Gadkari said, adding he wanted to exploit the full tourism potential of the city's coastline. "I feel the sea coast of the city should stand out prominently and a bridge should not obstruct the vision," he said.

The state officials will soon have a meeting with Gadkari in this regard and come to a conclusion, the Chief Minister said, stressing that the governments at the Centre and the state were working together for infrastructure development. The last estimated cost of MTHL was Rs 8,800 crore. It will be 22 km long: a 16.5 km long bridge across Mumbai harbour and 5.5 km long viaduct on the Sewri and Nhava sides.

Fadnavis said the Mumbai Port Trust and the Maharashtra Maritime Board will be soon signing a memorandum of understanding to develop the eastern waterway project for passenger movement with an investment of Rs 120 crore.