BJP Vs MVA: Maharashtra govt mulls shifting metro car shed to bullet-train project site

As the fight between BJP and Shiv Sena intensifies, CM Uddhav Thackeray on Friday, has directed officials to explore shifting of Metro car shed from the proposed Kanjurmarg land under litigation to other sites which include the land set aside for the Centre's Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train. Reports state that the proposed sites include - Pahadi, Goregaon, Kalina. The Mumbai–Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor is PM Narendra Modi's pet project worth Rs 1.1 lakh crores.

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MVA govt mulls shifting metro car shed

Bombay HC stays Metro car shed project in Kanjurmarg; asks MMRDA to maintain status quo

Lamenting at the politics between the two saffron allies, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said that both bullet train project and the metro rail project will be stalled. Lashing out at the Maharashtra govt, ex-CM Devendra Fadnavis said, "The last land sold at BKC was at the rate of Rs 1,800 crore per hectare. So, if 25-hectare land is taken at BKC (for the car shed) it would cost Rs 25,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore".

Fadnavis 'exposes' MVA govt's Aarey carshed shifting; says 'project delayed by 4.5 yrs'

Bombay HC stays Metro car shed

On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court stayed the metro car shed project at Kanjurmarg, asking the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to maintain status quo. The Maharashtra Government has agreed to take back its October 15, 2020, order of land allotment to MMRDA for Metro car shed at Kanjurmarg, according to ANI. CM Uddhav Thackeray had ordered shifting the car shed for lines 3, 4, 4A and 6 to Kanjurmarg after declaring 800 acres of Aarey land near Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP)  as a 'forest', excluding constructions of all types of roads, slums, Adivasi pockets and government facilities.

Mumbai Metro depot at BKC will increase project cost: Fadnavis

The Union Government had filed a petition in the High Court challenging the order passed by the Collector allotting the land for construction of the car shed, and said the land belongs to its (the Centre) salt department. The Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government, however, opposed the plea and said the land, allotted to MMRDA for the Metro car shed, is owned by the state. Previously, the Fadnavis government had decided to construct the car shed, part of Mumbai Metro line 3, at Aarey Colony, but had stopped after the Supreme Court stayed tree-felling on the site. The MVA govt is set to challenge the order in the Supreme Court.

Modi admonishes Maharashtra on bullet train

Recently, PM Modi expressed displeasure in a high-level review meeting as Maharashtra has only acquired  22% of the required land for the bullet train project, while Gujarat has acquired over 90% of the land. He has directed Indian railways to complete the Gujarat part of the project on time, if prevailing issues in Maharashtra don’t get resolved. Of the 508.17 km-long bullet train corridor, 155.76 km will be in Maharashtra, 348.04 km in Gujarat and 4.3 km in Dadra and Nagar Haveli.