Mumbai: The shadow of the third wave of Corona has started hovering over Mumbai. The ever-increasing corona infection is expected to affect the ongoing infra projects in Mumbai MMR. According to a senior MMRDA official, there is a fear of lockdown among the laborers engaged in various projects, due to which some laborers are preparing to migrate. It is noteworthy that under the supervision of MMRDA, the country’s longest sea bridge ‘Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link’, Samruddhi Expressway and many other metro projects are being worked on.
In the last almost 2 years, the work of infra projects has been greatly affected due to the lockdown in the Corona epidemic. After the second wave stopped, the work picked up speed. Apart from MTHL, the work of about 300 km long metro network and flyover etc. is going on in MMR. The first phase of Metro-2A and 7 is set to open before February. Trial has also been done on this route. Now after increasing the corona infection in Mumbai, there is a possibility of some more delay in the start of Mumbai’s second metro. The third wave will also affect Underground Metro 3, Ghatkopar, Thane, Kasarvadvali Metro-4, Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro-5. The work of these metro projects is going on in full swing.
labor shortage to work
Even in the first and second wave of Corona, there was a shortage of labor and raw materials required for the projects. Metro projects including MTHL, Samridhi had slowed down. After the last Deepawali, there was some pace in the work, but due to fear of third wave of Corona, the workers are thinking of migrating again. Shailendra Singh, who has been providing skill, unskilled laborers from outside for various projects, said that fear is spreading among the workers, but this time the disease is not that serious. According to Singh, the workers keep coming and going, although at this time in view of the corona infection in Mumbai, the workers will stop coming from outside. According to Shrenik Gandhi of Eagle Infra Limited, one of the companies contracting the work of MMRDA, all the labor involved in the site is regularly checked as per the COVID protocol.
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effect of the third wave
The work of several infra projects in Mumbai MMR has already been delayed. The corona pandemic has also increased their deadlines. Now again if the havoc of the third wave intensifies, then the work will be affected. The work on the multi-purpose Samridhi Expressway connecting Mumbai to Nagpur is in the final stages. MTHL project has also become 70 percent. Similarly, the work of Mumbai Coastal Road and several metro projects and flyovers is also going on. If the third wave of Corona affects these works, then their completion will be delayed even more.