Mumbai: Maharashtra’s showpiece Sewri-Nhava Sheva Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), the country’s longest sea link, is set to be opened for public use early next year. But complaints over its vivid blue colour have prompted the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to consider a repaint and settle on a colour scheme for all future transport infrastructure projects, ThePrint has learnt.
Requesting anonymity, a senior official from the MMRDA, the government agency that developed the 22-km sea link connecting Mumbai with Navi Mumbai, said that henceforth, bridges will be painted steel-grey and Metro railway lines will be painted in biscuit colour.
“We studied international models to understand what looks the best. Globally, most bridges are grey, so we have decided to go with the same for MTHL and for all future bridges,” the official said.
“Even for Metro lines, it is important to have uniformity as it’s going to be an extensive network of corridors crisscrossing over the entire Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).”
The MMRDA is constructing a Metro rail network of more than 300 kilometres across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), the urban agglomeration of Mumbai.
The official added that the MMRDA is also considering making an aesthetic NOC from the authority mandatory for any construction in areas under its jurisdiction, such as the Bandra Kurla Complex.
ThePrint reached MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee via calls and messages to confirm the agency’s decision to settle on a colour scheme for all transport infrastructure projects going forward but had not received a response by the time of publication. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Also read: An ode to Aryabhata, a landmark for the city — Mumbai is adding a zero to its skyline
‘Have started repainting process’
MMRDA officials told ThePrint that one of the international consultants working on the MTHL had picked the colour blue.
“It wasn’t a decision driven by aesthetics as such. What we need for these structures is an anti-carbonation colour. There are fewer choices of colours in that category. The blue colour has been used in a few projects internationally, and a couple of bridges in Mumbai too were painted blue in the past,” a second MMRDA official said.
An anti-carbonation colour has high resistance to carbon dioxide. It prevents corrosion and protects concrete from ultraviolet rays. The new colours that the MMRDA has picked will also be of anti-carbonation variety.
However, when the structure was more or less painted in blue, the MMRDA started receiving objections about the colour on social media, said the second official.
“Many said it’s too blue, and too gaudy. So we decided to change it, at least on those parts that are very obviously visible to the public. We have started the repainting process,” he added.
The 22-kilometre MTHL will connect peninsular South Mumbai to Nhava Sheva on the mainland in Navi Mumbai. It will be the main connector to the under-construction Navi Mumbai airport, which is scheduled to be completed by December next year.
By offering speedy transit between the two parts of the city, the MTHL, being built at a cost of Rs 17,843 crore, promises to unlock the commercial and residential potential of the mainland. The project is in the final stages of completion, getting some finishing touches.
The MMRDA has also floated a tender to appoint an agency for the operation and maintenance of the bridge, and has sent a proposal to the state government to finalise the toll for the sea link using calculations for the existing Bandra-Worli sea link.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
Also read: Shinde, Fadnavis rush to Delhi as Maratha quota activist resumes hunger strike after deadline ends