1 km long and 7.5 m wide path for the convenience of Mumbaikars, a big boost for Mumbai tourism, says Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde

Mumbai; The proposal for construction of an underground pedestrian subway to connect Nehru Science Centre Metro Station (Metro-3) in Worli with Worli Promenade and the proposed 300-acre landscaped garden was approved by the ‘Senator’s Meeting and Coastal Road Project’. Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde said that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will bear the cost of Rs 702 crore 44 lakh 35 thousand 7 for this underground subway, while the construction work will be carried out by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation.

Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde said that Coastal Road has proven to be a historic, dream project for the people of Mumbai. A grand landscaped garden spread over about 300 acres has been proposed with this project. Along with the garden, a dedicated promenade on Coastal Road will be available for the citizens. However, currently the area is relatively easy to access by four-wheeler, but there is no proper connectivity for the common people to reach it easily by public transport or on foot. The proposed underground pedestrian subway will play a major role in solving this problem.

This underground walkway is proposed to enable citizens to walk directly from the Nehru Science Centre Metro Station, which passes under Lala Lajpat Rai Road and passes through the Mahalaxmi Racecourse area to the Worli Promenade and Landscape Gardens. Spread over a length of about 1 km and a width of 7.5 metres, this walkway will facilitate safe and easy movement of a large number of people. The number of metro riders in Mumbai is constantly increasing, and the metro is proving to be an affordable and convenient mode of public transport for the common Mumbaikars. Upon reaching the Nehru Science Centre via Metro Line 3, citizens will be able to directly reach the Promenade and Landscape Gardens using this underground walkway.

This initiative will reduce the dependence on private vehicles and will also promote public transport as well as pedestrian infrastructure. The underground walkway is also expected to significantly boost tourism in the coastal road area. Once the landscape garden is completed, both locals and tourists from the country and abroad will be able to reach the area affordably via the metro. Mr. Prabhakar Shinde noted that this route will serve as an important link in enhancing Mumbai’s tourism infrastructure. Prabhakar Shinde, Chairman of the Standing Committee, informed that the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation had expressed readiness to start the construction of the underground tunnel in June 2025. Subsequently, during a joint meeting held in December 2025, the Municipal Commissioner approved the execution of the project by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation.

It was also decided that the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) would bear the financial cost of the project. The expanding network of the metro is playing a significant role in reducing traffic congestion and reducing the burden on Mumbai’s roads, thereby reducing the pressure on the municipal road transport system.

Following the same principle, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had earlier provided an amount of around Rs 2,500 crore for the Metro 3 project. Now, the corporation has expressed its readiness to take up the financial responsibility of the construction of this underground pedestrian subway, which works in the public interest. Both BMC and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation are public sector undertakings. What is wrong with one public body engaging another to carry out works that benefit the citizens?

Instead of awarding the contract to an outside contractor, it was decided to leverage the technical expertise of the Metro 3 project to complete the work more efficiently. It is surprising why this has created a stir for some. It seems that those who are used to the lucrative profits associated with contract-based work are unable to digest the proposal. However, for the Bharatiya Janata Party, the welfare of Mumbaikars is paramount. Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde remarked that the proposal was approved by a majority vote to provide state-of-the-art, safe and convenient pedestrian facilities to the citizens. Shinde noted that this underground pedestrian subway will create an effective connection between the Metro, Coastal Road, Promenade, and the proposed landscaped garden, which will serve as a key connection for safe, convenient and affordable public transport for Mumbaikars in the future.

Northern Railway clarified on Thursday that although permission has been received for operating the Vande Bharat train at 100 km per hour, no train has so far been operated at this speed over the world’s highest railway bridge on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir. In a communication to the media, Northern Railway officials said that some reports stated the Vande Bharat train ran at 100 kmph on the Chenab or Anji Bridge.

“Approval has been given to increase the speed of trains to 100 kmph on the Banihal to Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra rail section. No train has been operated at a speed of 100 kmph as of now,” it said.Earlier, some officials of the Northern Railways said the Vande Bharat train has operated at 100 kmph over the Chenab Railway Bridge.When contacted, the officials said there has been some communication gap as the reporters were told that approval for the operation of the Vande Bharat train has been received although the actual operation has not taken place so far.

Senior Divisional Commercial Manager, Jammu, Uchit Singhal told reporters that the increase in speed would reduce travel time and further strengthen connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir.“The move would provide passengers with faster, safer and more comfortable travel while also boosting tourism, trade and economic activities in the region,” he said.

The Vande Bharat train would, for the first time, operate at the speed of nearly 100 kmph on the World’s highest railway bridge over the Chenab River, following the Railway Ministry’s approval to increase the maximum permissible speed on the Katra-Banihal rail section.The senior divisional commercial manager also said the approval allows trains to run at speeds of up to 100 kmph on the 111-kilometre-long new Broad Gauge rail section between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Banihal under the Jammu Division of Northern Railway.

Currently, the permissible speed was 85 kmph on the Katra-Sangaldan section and 75 kmph on the Sangaldan-Banihal section.Northern Railway has also said the speed enhancement was approved after ensuring compliance with all prescribed safety conditions. It is worth mentioning that, with the revised speed limit, travel time between Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Banihal is expected to reduce further.

As the Vande Mataram row intensifies, the Congress party on Thursday defended its long-standing practice of singing the first two stanzas of the national song at its programmes, invoking the legacy and endorsement of leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore to assert its historical nationalist credentials amid sharp criticism from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).A couple of Congress leaders argued that the party’s position on the rendition of ‘Vande Mataram’ is rooted in a longstanding organisational decision dating back to the freedom struggle and was not a recent political development.

They also alleged that Congress workers continued singing the national song despite facing persecution and British action during the freedom movement, while accusing members associated with the Jan Sangh and RSS of informing the British about the freedom fighters who sang the song.This came a day after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolved to continue following the tradition established through a 1937 CWC decision, under which only the first two stanzas of ‘Vande Mataram’ are recited during Congress events. The decision has assumed significance as the Centre has recently made the complete rendition of the national song part of official protocol.

Congress MP Jebi Mather said the party’s position had been carefully established after discussions among several prominent leaders during the freedom struggle and that the practice would continue.”The Congress’ stand on Vande Mataram is not something that has emerged today, yesterday or the day before. It dates back to the 1937 Kolkata session, when great leaders including Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Rabindranath Tagore came together, discussed the matter and the Congress Working Committee passed a resolution that the first two stanzas of Vande Mataram would be sung,” Mather told IANS.

“That decision continues today and will continue forever,” she added.Congress spokesperson Surendra Rajput also strongly defended the party’s association with ‘Vande Mataram’, saying that the song had been sung by Congress workers since the beginning and remained an important part of the freedom movement.”We have been singing ‘Vande Mataram’ from the beginning. During the freedom movement, when we used to sing ‘Vande Mataram’, these sycophants of the British — the Jana Sangh people, the Sangh people — used to inform the British that such-and-such freedom fighter was singing ‘Vande Mataram’, and the British used to whip us on our backs,” Rajput said.

“We did not stop singing ‘Vande Mataram’ even then. The same ‘Vande Mataram’ that we used to sing at that time, we are singing today. The ‘Vande Mataram’ that Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose sang, and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore approved — we sang it, we sing it, and we will continue to sing it,” he added.

“Why did these Sangh people never sing Vande Mataram in their Sakhas? We are ready to be whipped by the BJP, but we just want to know the reason behind it,” Rajput stated.Meanwhile, Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N.K. Premachandran said that the position of both the Congress and the INDIA bloc on ‘Vande Mataram was clear, arguing that the national song should serve as a means of bringing people together rather than creating divisions.

“As far as Vande Mataram is concerned, the position of Congress as well as the INDIA bloc is very clear. It is very definite that the national song is not meant for dividing the people but for uniting the people,” Premachandran said.The Congress defence comes as the party came under heavy criticism from the BJP, which has accused the Congress of disrespecting the national song by restricting its rendition to two stanzas.