Davos 2024: Atal Setu Sea Link will increase connectivity in Mumbai, says HCC's Ajit Gulabchand

The newly launched 22 km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link will connect Mumbai properly, said Ajit Gulabchand, Managing Director of Hindustan Construction Company (HCC), during an interview with Moneycontrol on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

The link officially called the Atal Setu Nhava Sheva Sea Link was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 12. Gulabchand said that this development is what was needed to increase connectivity in the city.

"Mumbai's infrastructure was falling behind. Even the Bandra-Worli sea link (constructed by HCC) was built 10 years too late. It was conceived much earlier but was delayed. Mumbai's infrastructure is lacking. The suburban trains have been overloaded for a long time. Nothing has been done to add capacity. Plus, there are many parts of Mumbai that can be brought closer by faster trains," the Gulabchand said.

He added, "We needed to get people from all parts of Mumbai quickly to the other side. And now we have the Trans Harbour Link for that. And there is also a connection made via Sewri through a tunnel from the western expressway."

The HCC MD pointed out that road infrastructure has picked up in Maharashtra. "On the infrastructure front in Maharashtra, some roads are built by the Centre, others by the state government. Hope to see more in the next 30 years."

With the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya on January 22, Gulabchand expressed that this moment had long been awaited. "By creating airport, railway station, it is going to create infrastructure that can cater to the tourist influx. Despite the limited infrastructure, tourists go there. With more infrastructure development more tourists will go."

He also said that mood is upbeat as far as India is concerned. "India is doing well. The only economies that have done well are India and America. The point of discussion is will Modi be back in office after two terms? Answer is broadly yes. It looks like that he will make it the third time," Gulabchand said.