Bridge to developed India: PM Modi opens longest sea link Atal Setu in Mumbai
Shubhadeep Choudhury
New Delhi, January 12
Scripting another success story in the arena of infrastructure development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated India’s longest sea bridge—also the longest bridge in the country—at Navi Mumbai.
21.8 km length of bridge; 16 km over sea & 5.8 km on land
Rs 17,840 cr construction cost; stone was laid by PM in Dec 2016
6-lane link saw 17,000 labourers, 1,500 engineers at work
20 mins from Mumbai to Navi Mumbai; it took 2 hrs earlier
100 kmph speed limit for cars; no entry for bikes & autos
Rs 250 toll cars to pay for single-side trip; Rs 375 for 2-way
“The Atal Setu is an important part of our government’s ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp’ (resolve to make India a developed country). Not only the country, but entire world is looking at the bridge,” said the PM while opening the six-lane bridge, more than seven years after he laid its foundation stone in December 2016.
Built at a cost of Rs 17,840 crore, the 21.8-km-long bridge will reduce the travel time between South Mumbai and its satellite city Navi Mumbai from the existing two hours to a mere 20 minutes. The Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), now named Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu, will also reduce the travel time from Mumbai to Pune, Goa and South India. It will also improve connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port. “Delighted to inaugurate Atal Setu, a significant step forward in enhancing the ease of living for our citizens. This bridge promises to reduce travel time and boost connectivity, making daily commute smoother,” the PM posted on X.
The 16-km portion of the bridge is on sea while 5.8 km is on land. The construction of the bridge entailed employing of around 17,000 labourers and 1,500 engineers while also creating employment opportunities in the transport and construction industries.
Underscoring the BJP government’s emphasis on infrastructure development, PM Modi said a budget of only Rs 12 lakh crore was allocated for the sector in the 10 years before 2014, an amount that was raised to Rs 44 lakh crore in the past 10 years of the present government. “In Maharashtra alone, the Central Government has either completed infrastructure projects worth about Rs 8 lakh crore or work on these is in progress. This amount is also increasing new employment opportunities in every sector,” he said.
The Prime Minister also thanked Japan for its help and support towards the construction of the bridge. “On the occasion, I would like to remember Shinzo Abe (former Japanese PM who was assassinated in 2022), with whom I first deliberated on the creation of this bridge. Several developmental projects were kicked off when Maharashtra for the first time got the double-engine government. Atal Setu is a result of combined efforts of the Central and state governments,” Modi said.
Modi, during his address, also took a dig at the former UPA government. “The people who ruled for decades did not care about the country’s time and tax money. In the earlier era, projects seldom got off the ground and often remained pending for decades. The Bandra-Worli sea link, a five times smaller project, took more than 10 years and the budget increased by four to five times,” he said.
The PM said the planning for Atal Setu too was going on for many years, but “we got the opportunity to complete it”. He also inaugurated multiple other development projects, including road and rail links, water supply projects and projects related to women empowerment and gems and jewellery development.
