Question 5: Fill in the blanks by matching the sentences in Column A …

Read the following and answer the given subquestions:
The MTHL and Mumbai’s Changing Face
The longest sea bridge in India, the MTHL was commissioned when Fadnavis was chief minister; construction began in 2016. Opened to the public in January, it has reduced the distance between Sewri on the island city and Chirle near the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Raigad district (1) _____ – from 60 km to 22 km. “The best thing about the MTHL is the non-stop 22 km journey on the sea bridge,” said Saji S., who commutes 60 km one way from his house in Ambernath to Mumbai every day.
For a long time, two bridges over Thane creek linked Mumbai to Navi Mumbai– the Mulund-Airoli connector and the Vashi connector. The MTHL is the third. “This bridge is on land, sea and mudflats in between the two,” said Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, metropolitan commissioner, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority. “The seismic strength of the bridge is (2) _____ the normal seismic activity of that region.”
The bridge is a six-lane highway that ensures quick connectivity from the city to JNPT, the under- construction Navi Mumbai airport, the expressway to Pune and the national highway to Goa. Shinde said the MTHL was a game changer for commuters and the economy. “We are connecting the MTHL to the Worli sea link and to Nariman Point via the coastal road,” he said. “People living in Nariman Point will now be able to reach Panvel in just about 30 minutes.” It currently takes (3) _____.
The MTHL has given the city the opportunity to grow horizontally. It will be the engine of economic growth for Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan region, said S. V. R. Srinivas, former managing director of MMRDA, who oversaw most of the work on the MTHL during his tenure.
Officially the Atal Setu, the MTHL is also a bridge to Mumbai’s future. “Atal Setu will facilitate the creation of ‘Third Mumbai’ in the Navi Mumbai-Raigad region,” said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar. The government has facilitated MMRDA as the New Town Development Authority (NTDA) to focus on the growth of the areas that will be benefitted by the Atal Setu. Third Mumbai is an ambitious smart city that is envisaged in the area close to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. The project encompasses 124 villages in the Raigad district. Several villages from the existing Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area are also likely to be a part of the NTDA. The NTDA is expected to oversee (4) _____ area in the Panvel-Ulwe-Uran region where the new airport and the MTHL will offer connectivity. It will feature housing projects, commercial complexes, data centres, IT knowledge parks and financial service hubs. The foundation stone for the airport was laid in 2018. The Rs.18,000 crore project, planned on 1,160 hectares, is the largest greenfield airport under development.
Just as the MTHL is easing the commute from South Mumbai to Navi Mumbai and beyond, Mumbai Metro has now become a practical alternative to the overcrowded suburban trains for lakhs of Mumbaikaars. The lifeline of commuters, the local trains have been running well over their capacity owing to (5) _____ in the number of travellers over the years, especially during peak hours. People in the suburbs are quickly switching to the clean, air-conditioned metro trains to travel to the city. “Metro saves a lot of time,” says Sayali M., a regular commuter from Gundavali to Aarey. “If I take an autorickshaw on this route, it takes almost 50 minutes and costs around Rs.150. I cover the same distance by metro in 15 minutes and it costs just Rs.20.” Mumbai Metro’s Line 3, which connects the northern suburbs at Aarey to Colaba, the city’s southernmost area, is probably {i} _____ project in the city. This {ii} _____, which is under construction, will have 26 underground stations and will provide connectivity to major business centres like Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade, Fort and Lower Parel, the business district of Bandra Kurla Complex, and the industrial belt of SEEPZ/MIDC (Santacruz Electronics Export Processing Zone/Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation). A fully operational Line 3 would cater to {iii} _____, said Ashwini Bhide, managing director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation. “Around {iv} _____ of road traffic is expected to reduce. By 2031, around 5.54 lakh vehicular trips will be expected to reduce every day, which will cut the fuel consumption {v} _____ a day. Around 15 percent burden on suburban railways will also be lessened,” she said.
Excerpted from: Jathar, Dnyanesh, and Nachiket Kelkar. “Metropolis in Motion.” The Week, 03 Mar 2024, Mumbai, p. 28-37.

Fill in the blanks by matching the sentences in Column A to the options appropriate to them in Column B. Each blank will have ONLY ONE answer.

The lifeline of commuters, the local trains have been running well over their capacity owing to _____ in the number of travellers over the years, especially during peak hours.