The Department of Urban Development has started legal action to lift the halt on the construction of the Metro-3 vehicle shed in Aarey. A key state government official predicted that the suspension will be removed by the end of the next week.
“We’ve looked into everything, so the Cabinet doesn’t need to hear about it. The top state government official stated, “We requested the implementing agency, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), to draught the proposal and we would remove the stay at department level.
The Metro-3 vehicle shed was moved from Aarey to the 102-acre salt pan property in Kanjurmarg by the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) administration. Within hours of taking office on June 30, the Eknath Shinde-led government opted to reverse this decision.
In order to resume construction at the site, the government also instructed the MMRC to mobilise the contractor. Navy Nagar and SEEPZ will be connected by Metro-3. Environmentalists are against the vehicle shed in Aarey because leopards live there.
The MMRC picked Kanjurmarg, whereas the MVA government preferred to relocate the project from the Aarey colony location. The Center opposed, though, and the entire proposal has been in limbo ever since.
Ashwini Bhide, a BMC Additional Municipal Commissioner who has previously worked on the project, was also given the additional responsibility of MMRC Managing Director this week by the state government.
Fadnavis had stated in a statement on the subject that “the resistance to the auto shed at Aarey is real to some extent and funded to some level. I admire environmental activists. They are quite entitled to express their feelings. The project has received approval from both the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal. Nearly 25% of the work has been completed, including the removal of trees. No longer is it necessary to chop any more trees. If we begin now, monsoon delays may occur, but the vehicle shed may be finished the following year, allowing Metro-3 to begin.
The state government estimates that moving the auto shed to Kanjurmarg will add four years to construction time and an additional Rs 10,000–15,000 crore to the cost. Costs have already increased by Rs 10,000 crore.
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