Mumbai, June 17 (IANS) The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday gave approval to develop the ambitious Virar-Alibagh Multi Modal Corridor (VAMMC) Project on a “Build, Operate and Transfer” (BOT) basis.

The state-run Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) had estimated the total cost of Rs 26,300 crore for the project, and it had earlier proposed the development on an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis.

During the Eknath Shinde-led government, the MSRDC had awarded contracts to seven civil engineering firms for constructing the first phase, totalling 96.47 km, of the ambitious 126-km Virar–Alibaug Multi-Modal Corridor (VAMMC) project. However, these tenders now stand scrapped as the fresh tenders will be floated to build the entire project under the BOT model as per the Cabinet’s decision.

The Virar–Alibaug Multi-Modal Corridor project has been under the government’s consideration since 2011. It is an 8-14 lane access-controlled expressway that was originally supposed to be built by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, but it was later handed over to the MSRDC in 2020.

The 126-km corridor is expected to drastically cut travel time between Virar and Alibaug to just 1.5 to 2 hours. It will connect several key expressways, including the Mumbai-Ahmedabad, Mumbai-Nashik, and Mumbai-Pune corridors, making it a critical infrastructure link for the region. The project is planned in two phases, 98 km in the first and 29 km in the second. Further, it is expected to decongest Mumbai and boost economic growth in the surrounding areas.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet also cleared the allotment of 29 hectares of land by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation at Jambutke in Nashik district for the Tribal Industrial Cluster. “This will encourage aspiring entrepreneurs from the tribal community, generate employment and boost economic development,” said the government release.

Under the WINDS (Weather Information Network Data System) project of the Union government, automatic weather stations (AWS- Automatic Weather Station) will be set up at the gram panchayat level. For this, it has been decided to extend the deadline of the Mahavedh project, which proposes to provide accurate weather information to all the villages in the state.

“This is an important project for weather-based agricultural advice and guidance to farmers,” said the government release.

The Cabinet has also approved the Maharashtra Agriculture- Artificial Intelligence MahaAgri-AI Policy 2025-2029 to transform the agriculture sector by using artificial intelligence and emerging technologies.

“The use of artificial intelligence, generative artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT), drones, computer vision, robotics, and predictive analytics will help in taking forward projects like Agristack, Maha-Agristack, MahaVeda, CropSap, AgMarkNet, Digital Shetishala, and Maha-DBT in the state,” said the government release.

The Cabinet also cleared the extension of loan from the Asian Development Bank and the New Development Bank for Mumbai Metro Route-2A, 2B and 7 metro projects.

Furthermore, the Cabinet approved the increase in the honorarium given to those imprisoned during the Emergency. Surviving spouses will also get an honorarium.

The Cabinet has approved the amendment to the Admission and Fees Regulation Act, 2015. With this decision, the children and dependents of NRIs will get admission for professional courses. The Cabinet also approved the change in the definition of NRI for admission to courses in unaided private professional educational institutions.

–IANS

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