The world’s longest ropeway is being planned over the Mumbai Trans Harbour link (MTHl) connecting Sewri Fort to the Elephanta Island, where the famous UNESCO World Heritage site "Elephanta Caves" is located.
Announcing this at a summit organized by the State-run National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO) on “Perspective on India’s growth story for infra and real estate” , Managing Director of Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) Sanjay Bhatia said: “The world’s longest ropeway is being planned from Sewri to Elephanta over the proposed Mumbai Trans Harbour link…… Mumbai will also become the gateway for international cruise ships”.
In another major announcement, Bhatia said that the MbPT would soon free 150 hectares from its land parcel for iconic infrastructure projects such as entertainment hubs and all weather Marina project.
“An entertainment hub is being planned at Victoria and Princess Docks , while Marine Drive is all set to get a facelift with two jetties at Chowpatty and the land’s end near National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA,” Bhatia said.
The development of a rope way from Sewri to Elephanta over the MTHl should be seen from the tourist and heritage points of view. While Sewri Fort is on the eastern seafront of Mumbai - the Elephanta Island is across the harbour in the Raigad district.
Dotted with numerous ancient archaeological remains dating back to the 2nd Century BC that are the sole testimonies to its rich cultural past, the Elephanta Island has rock-cut caves constructed about the mid-5th to 6th centuries AD. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the tourist footfall is very high.
The MTHl is a 22-km sea bridge linking the metropolis with Navi Mumbai across the Arabian Sea. It will have a 16.5 km long bridge across Mumbai harbor and 5.5 km long via duct approaches on the Sewri and Nhava sides. Interchanges are proposed at Sewri to connect to Eastern Freeway and at Chirle to connect to the NH 4B to facilitate traffic dispersal.
Apart from de-congesting the Island city of Mumbai, the MTHl will provide connectivity to Mumbai and JNPT ports and afford quicker access to the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport. Besides, it will provide connectivity to commuters traveling towards Thane-Nashik, Navi Mumbai, Panvel-Pune and further to southern India.
There will in all be six lanes in the sea bridge, which will be 27 meters in width, in addition to edge strip and crash barrier.
Expected to be completed in five years, the the all-crucial link is expected to carry more than 62,000 passenger car units in the year 2019, while five per cent of annual growth in vehicular traffic has been envisaged.
The summit on “Perspective on India’s growth story for infra and real estate” was hosted by the NAREDCO, which functions under the aegis of Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, Govt. of India. It is an apex body representing all spheres of stakeholders engaged in various aspects of real estate development.