The inauguration of the first phase of the Mumbai Coastal Road project faces delays, with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's ribbon-cutting ceremony rescheduled from March 9 to March 11. The north-south arm of the project was slated to open on the initial date, but leaders from the MahaYuti alliance, engaged in Lok Sabha seat-sharing talks, necessitated the postponement.
Despite an earlier announcement by Shinde in January, pledging the operationalization of one lane from Worli to Chowpatty by month-end, the timeline was not met. Speculation surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's potential inauguration was also thwarted due to his campaign commitments. The official invitations for a revised March 9 date were distributed, but the event has been pushed back to March 11, with uncertainty surrounding its occurrence.
Civic officials assert that phase one will be fully completed by May, encompassing two lanes from Marine Drive to Worli, significantly reducing travel time from one hour to approximately 10 minutes. However, concerns loom over the potential impact of the Model Code of Conduct, which may be enforced next week if the inauguration faces further delays.
Criticism from opposition figures within the Maha Vikas Aghadi, including Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Sanjay Raut, Aditya Thackeray, Kishore Tiwari, Congress' Nana Patole and M. Arif Naseem Khan, as well as leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, underscores discontent with the prolonged timelines for major infrastructure projects.