Inaugrating the country’s first link on the open sea today, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi spoke almost every Mumbaiite’s mind when she said: “The work on the next phase of the project from Worli to Haji Ali should start quickly, too, to give respite to motorists in the city.”

The call to her party’s alliance government in the state could not have been timed better. The financial capital desperately needs a mega infrastructure upgrade but has seen enduring delays coupled with a lack of clear policy on implementation of crucial projects. And the limping progress of a plan to build a chain of sea links to decongest the main corridors of the city is symptomatic of this muddle.

Nine years after construction on the first sea link began — the one that connects Bandra to Worli (BWSL) and was opened today — another sea link, the Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link, which is an extension of the BWSL and part of what was planned as the Western Freeway, remains chronically delayed.

In the pipeline for years, it suffered fresh delays after the 26/11 terror attacks on the city when private bidders sought extensions from the state government citing the slowdown. The bids are currently being evaluated by consultants and a final call is to be taken by the state Cabinet. Two consortia, the Reliance Infrastructure-Hyundai team and Hindustan Construction Company (HCC)-John Laing-Samsung are in the fray for the 3.5-km bridge.

Chief Minister Ashok Chavan today promised Sonia Gandhi that a decision on this contract would be taken at the earliest. His deputy, Chhagan Bhujbal, stressed that projects should stick to deadlines and agencies should tackle issues like protests and clearances quickly to avoid delays like the one that stalled BWSL and doubled its cost from Rs 400 crore to about Rs 850 crore.

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