The Hindu Business Line : `Strengthening Mumbai's infrastructure tops our agenda'

The agenda that the recently elected President of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI), Mr Ashwini Kakkar, has drawn up holds out hope for Mumbai.

A trans-harbour link between the island city and the suburb of New Bombay, a pan-island expressway that would skirt the city and provide a dedicated track for long-distance traffic, airport redevelopment, and expansion and development of the suburban rail network as well as the mass rapid transport system, are among the infrastructure projects planned by the chamber.

"Even if the Government were to allot the city Rs 2,500 crore annually for the next five years to develop infrastructural facilities, we can assure it (the Government) that the city will increase its tax revenues to Rs 100,000 crore from around Rs 60,000 crore currently," says Mr Kakkar, who is also the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Thomas Cook (India) Ltd.

"As the chamber President, I will follow a three-pronged agenda, which will focus on the chamber, the State and a `New India,'" says Mr Kakkar.

Among the key projects that he has set out for the chamber, include strengthening the relationship between the State and Union Government and participating in the activities of Bombay First, an initiative of the chamber dedicated to helping the city adapt and restructure as economic environments alter.

In an interaction with Business Line, he said that despite the fact that the city accounted for Rs 60,000 crore in taxes, not enough money was being allocated for infrastructure development.

"I am working with the six new Cabinet Ministers from the city on these projects. We have also held talks with the 20 MPs who hail from Mumbai."

The chamber's agenda for a `New India,' he said, would work on a strategy to place the country on the high-growth path. It would also focus on employment generation, with 400 million estimated to enter the job market over the next 20 years.

"The agriculture, services and manufacturing sectors have to grow together to support these growth targets. Besides, there is a need to promote tourism and outline an airline strategy for 21st century India," he said.

Queried on how the chamber planned to see these long-term projects to completion, he said there was a need to start the process. He added that he had taken up these projects with Central Ministers as well as with bureaucrats.

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