MUMBAI, Oct. 7 -- Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the urban development department, on Monday asked MMRDA to examine the feasibility of connecting Navi Mumbai International Airport to Mumbai through a tunnel and to submit a detailed report on the proposal. The minister held a meeting of senior officers of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), where MMRDA chief Sanjay Mukherjee and other senior officers were present. At present, connectivity with the new airport-Phase 1 of which will be inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on Wednesday-is a major issue. The City Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) is in charge of executing the Sahar Airport-to-NMIA metro. The airport will be developed in four phases, and a large number of vehicles will travel to and from Mumbai to the airport. Therefore, seamless connectivity to national highways, suburban railways, metro networks, and waterways will be essential, a press note issued by Shinde's office said. Shinde held another meeting with MahaRail officials, and representatives of the High-Speed Rail Corporation constructing the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor. He asked officials to examine if the proposed bullet train station at Mhatardi in Thane district could be connected to Thane railway station, Kopar railway station and the Taloja metro station. MahaRail gave a detailed presentation on the proposed master plan, the press note said. Mhatardi station, near Diva, will serve as an important junction on the bullet train route and will eventually become an integrated transport hub. It will connect bullet trains with the suburban railway network, metro, buses, and highways....