Davos, Jan 19 (IANS) The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) Commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee-led team on Monday, at the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit, held a strategic meeting with Paul Dyson, CEO of Crossrail International, a UK-based specialist advisory practice supporting major transport infrastructure programmes around the world.

The discussions reaffirmed collaboration and explored opportunities for knowledge-sharing and capacity building in metro and urban transport.

An MMRDA release said that the delegation also interacted with Prof Chris Bush of the University of California, Berkeley. This partnership will open new avenues for academic exchange, research collaboration and innovation in urban development. It is also a step towards supporting the vision of building Mumbai as the Talent Capital of India and Asia.

“The objective of the Davos visit is to secure global funding and technology partnerships to accelerate development across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region,” the release said.

“To further accelerate Maharashtra’s journey towards becoming a USD 1 trillion economy, WEF 2026 will serve as a pivotal platform. Focused discussions with global industry leaders, investors and policymakers will concentrate on boosting foreign direct investment, catalysing industrial partnerships, enhancing employment generation, and supporting sustainable economic growth across MMR,” the release stated.

The MMRDA delegation, which is part of the Maharashtra delegation headed by CM Fadnavis, includes Additional Metropolitan Commissioner Vikram Kumar and other senior officials.

MMRDA had signed 11 MoUs worth approximately USD 40 billion (around Rs 3.5 lakh crore) during the World Economic Forum summit held in January 2025.

These agreements focused on infrastructure development in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), including urban transport, regional development, cutting-edge technologies, logistics, sustainable urban projects and more.

The investments are expected to drive sustainable growth, create jobs, enhance mobility, and support MMR’s vision of becoming a major economic hub, with targets like a USD 300 billion economy and 3 million jobs by 2030.

This was part of Maharashtra’s broader success at Davos 2025, where the state signed around 54-61 MoUs totalling Rs 15.70 lakh crore in investments overall, with MMRDA contributing a major share (around Rs 3.44-3.5 lakh crore).

–IANS

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