CAG flags Rs 922 crore cost escalation in Mumbai Coastal Road due to ‘unjustified’ design change

The Comptroller and Auditor General has flagged a Rs 922 crore cost escalation in Mumbai’s Coastal Road project due to an “unjustified” design change, The Times of India reported citing a draft report by the auditing body.

The CAG is the watchdog of the state exchequer and is responsible for auditing government accounts to ensure proper use of public funds.

In 2023, following requests from fisherfolk operating out of Worli Koliwada’s Cleveland Bunder, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation agreed to alter the design of a bridge connecting the Coastal Road to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

The change involved increasing the distance between two supporting pillars of the interchange bridge, from 60 meters to 120 meters, to allow safe passage for fishing boats. This required the construction of an expensive “bow-string” feature that led to the cost escalation, reported The Indian Express.

“The increase in the width of the span was not justified as there were differences in opinions of the experts from time to time,” the newspaper quoted from the CAG report, which was submitted last July to the chief engineer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

The first phase of the Coastal Road, a 10.5-km stretch linking Nariman Point to the Bandra-Worli Sea Link, was opened to the public on March 11, 2024. Prime Minister...

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