Gurudas Kamat’s MPLAD Report Card

A Member of Parliament is directly responsible for the growth and development of the residents of any constituency. He/she is answerable to the people and by serving them, the MP restores the peoples’ faith in the system. This is the very favour of the democratic framework of our country. And this is exactly what Gurudas Kamat ji does.

In the earlier blogs, I did talk about the Jan Samparks Kamat ji holds (http://bit.ly/1hxiBPB ) to interact with the people. If we talk about growth and development, the most important thing here is – funds.  A MP can utilise MPLAD (Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund) for the same. Kamat ji had recommended development works through the MPLAD totaling about Rs 2085.46 Lakhs which were available in the last 5 years in different parts of the Constituency as per the suggestions received from the citizens residing in the constituency to the Collector Mumbai Suburban District. No balance remains as the fund was fully utilized. He also persuaded other Rajya Sabha MPs including Avinash Pandey (Rs. 111.25 Lakhs) Rajiv Shukla (Rs 57.5 Lakhs) and Shri Balachandra Mungekar (Rs 32.5 Lakhs) to accept the recommendations for the benefit of the residents of the area.

The letter from the District Collector's Office Mumbai Suburban District clearly states that they have given Administrative Sanction to 100% of Kamat ji’s MPLAD works hence utilizing all funds allocated to him for his term from 2009-2013.

Sahar Elevated Road To Be Inaugurated

Mumbai is set to witness the inauguration of the Sahar elevated road on 11^th February, 2014. The elevated road will connect Western Express Highway (WEH) with Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport’s (CSIA) new Terminal 2.

The project is implemented jointly by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and Mumbai International Airport Private Limited and stretches 3.3km between WEH and CSIA.  These lanes will also have plantations on both the sides for aesthetic purpose.

The signal-free elevated road starts from Hanuman Road junction, Vile Parle (East) and goes straight to Terminal 2. Reaching CSIA was cumbersome earlier as the approach roads to the airport are very narrow and congested. A distance of about 4-5km from the highway to the airport requires about 40-45 minutes, crossing through Sambhaji Nagar, Rajaram Wadi, NAD Colony, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Nagar, Bamanwada, Sahar Post and Telegraph Colony, GVK Residential Colony and further on the busy Sahar road at Marol Pipeline junction. The Sahar elevated road will put an end to this woe and provide a better alternative for the commuters.

Gurudas kamat ji is extremely happy as a new a chapter has been added to the growth story of Mumbai. We hope that Mumbai grows stronger and stronger with such initiatives. 

Mumbai Gets Country's First Monorail

The country's first monorail had a dream debut as around 20,000 Mumbaikars converged on the stations to take a ride. I am sure that the commuters were happy as it took merely 20 minutes from Wadala to Chembur which otherwise takes twice the time to cover the stretch by road during peak hours. 

India’s first monorail has indeed rolled out in style and how! The first of its kind in the country, to enhance clean urban transport, Gurudas Kamat’s persistent efforts resulted in the approval and sanctioning of the mono rail project. So, today as the people in Mumbai are celebrating the arrival of monorail, I would like to thank Kamat ji and his party workers for making this a reality. 

Here are the few things that you need to know about the Mumbai monorail:

·   -  The monorail will run every 15 minutes between 7 am and 3 pm. At its fastest, it will run at 80 kilometres per hour; the average speed is set at 65 kilometres per hour (40 mph).

·   - The monorail will be linked to major local train stations. So the station at Chembur is connected with a skywalk to the monorail station near it.

·   -  All coaches of the monorail trains are air-conditioned; each train can carry 560 passengers.

·    - Tickets are priced between Rs. 5 and Rs. 11.

·   -    There will be no monthly passes like the ones on Mumbai's lifeline, the local trains, but there will be a system of smart cards.

Mr. Gurudas Kamat’s initiative has yielded wonderful results and has eased the commuting process. The next time you visit Mumbai don’t forget to travel in the pink and blue coaches.