Straight answers

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="" font-style:="" italic="">T Chandra Shekhar</span><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">, Joint Metropolitan Commissioner and Project Director, Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP), On whether Mumbai is over-dependent on the Centre for development</span><br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">As per the state government''s plan, the total cost of refurbishing Mumbai is around Rs 36,000 crore.Around Rs 10,758 crores is expected from the Centre in the next five years. Isn''t this too ambitious?</span><br /><br />It is not. Redevelopment of Mumbai is crucial to the state as well as the country''s economy. If the infrastructure and housing plans are implemented, it will create 8 lakh new jobs. We need around Rs 2,100 crore annually at very short notice and this can come only from the Centre.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">But besides the Dharavi Action Plan the Centre has not yet given a rupee for Mumbai''s development...</span><br /><br />We are hopeful. There is a synergy to get Mumbai back on track. Actually, raising Rs 36,000 in five years is not a difficult job. We can get loans from outside, but at a high cost, which we have to repay. Instead the same can come from the Centre. Isn''t the state government funding new roads under the MUIP scheme?<br /> <br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">If the Centre backs out, does the state government have an alternative plan?</span><br /><br />Then we will have to look at all projects with a financial angle, for instance, apply user surcharges like toll. But the bottomline is that these projects will be implemented. Mumbai''s development is not over-dependent on the Centre. As of now, Prithviraj Chavan, minister of state in the Prime Minister''s Office, is acting as a major catalyst between us and the Centre.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">The builders'' lobby has been asking for relaxation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) from the Centre. Are you also in favour of the same?</span><br /><br />I''m for relaxation of CRZ for civic infrastructure like roads, reconstruction of dilapidated buildings and more space for dumping grounds. Out of the 438 sq km land of Mumbai, around 135 sq km is under CRZ. Part of it should be used for development.<br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">smita.deshmukh@timesgroup.com</span></div> </div>