Published 11:35 IST, January 29th 2020
'Save-Aarey' options closing for CM Uddhav, BJP makes Metro appeal claiming Rs 600 cr loss
After a government panel favoured Aarey as the best site for Metro car shed, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya appealed to the CM to lift the stay on its construction.
After the Maharashtra State Urban Development Committee recommended Aarey as the best possible spot for the Mumbai Metro 3 car shed, BJP called upon Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to immediately re-start the work of the car shed. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday stated that there had already been a delay of two months. Moreover, he alleged that this had caused a loss of Rs.600 crore to the public exchequer.
Somaiya opined, "The Maharashtra government’s Metro car shed committee has given its final report. The Committee has recommended that the car shed should be made in Aarey itself. 60 days have already passed. There has been a loss of Rs.600 crore. I will appeal to the Chief Minister to withdraw your stay. You should immediately allow the car shed work to commence again."
Alternatives not financially viable
One of the first decisions of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray was to stop the work of the Aarey Metro car shed project. The Maharashtra CM asserted that a single leaf of Aarey would not be cut. On December 11, the government set up the committee to identify alternative land for the Metro car shed. This four-member panel was headed by Additional Chief Secretary (Finance). The other members of the committee included Principal Secretary (environment), managing director of Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC), and chief conservator of Forests, Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). The report submitted by them observed that the two alternative places for the car shed were not financially viable.
The Mumbai Metro 3 project
The Mumbai Metro 3 project comprises a 33.5 km underground corridor running along the Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ route. In total, there will be 27 stations out of which 26 will be underground. At present, nearly 74% of the tunneling work has been completed.
There has been a long dispute about the location of the Metro car shed. According to environmental activists, Aarey is a forest area and any construction work would hamper the ecological balance. On the other hand, the Devendra Fadnavis regime often highlighted that the long-term gains of the project would offshoot the temporary damage caused due to the felling of trees.
Updated 11:35 IST, January 29th 2020