Ashwini Bhide reinstated as Mumbai Metro 3 head 2.5 years after MVA govt shunted her out

Pushing for the speedy completion of the Mumbai Metro 3 project, Ashwini Bhide was given the additional charge of the Managing Director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) by the Maharashtra government. Since Ranjit Goel's transfer earlier this year, MMRDA commissioner SVR Srinivas was heading the MMRCL which is the nodal agency for implementing the Mumbai Metro 3 project. While Bhide- a 1995 batch-IAS officer holds the rank of principal secretary, she was serving as the additional commissioner in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation during the tenure of the MVA government.

Ashwini Bhide's involvement in Mumbai Metro 3

Spearheading the Mumbai Metro 3 project from January 2015 onwards, Ashwini Bhide was extremely vocal in defending the felling of trees for the construction of the Metro car shed in the Aarey area. She often highlighted that the long-term gains of the project would offshoot the temporary damage caused due to the felling of trees. Even though Shiv Sena was a part of the then Devendra Fadnavis-led government, Aaditya Thackeray had publicly demanded her transfer in September 2019, just before the Maharashtra Assembly polls. 

Denouncing the attitude of Bhide, Yuva Sena president Aaditya Thackeray remarked, "The concerned officer is not only disrespecting the elected representatives and citizens of Mumbai but her statements also seem to threaten the common man and the courts". Moreover, he added that the MMRCL's stance was against citizens. After the MVA government came to power, she was shunted out from the Mumbai Metro 3 project on January 21, 2020. 

The Aarey car shed row

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. Over 96% of the tunneling work has been completed. There has been a long dispute regarding 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 October 11, 2020, the then CM Uddhav Thackeray announced that the car shed will be shifted from Aarey to Kanjurmarg and no cost will be incurred for the purpose. However, the Bombay HC stayed the transfer of the 102-acre land in Kanjurmarg to the MMRDA for the construction of the car shed on December 16, 2020. After the formation of the Eknath Shinde-led government, protests again started over the public intent expressed by Fadnavis to shift the car shed back to Aarey.