Car depot for Metro-3 corridor will come up at Aarey Colony

Despite strong opposition from activists and politicians, a car depot for the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro-3 corridor will come up at Aarey Colony. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC)’s board meeting scheduled for Saturday is likely to give formal approval for constructing the Metro-3 car shed and 16-line stabling yard on a plot measuring 20.8 hectares located in Aarey Colony, said sources from MMRC.

The MMRC board comprises senior bureaucrats from the state and Central government, including Madhusudan Prasad, secretary, Union ministry of urban development; Mukund Kumar Sinha, joint secretary, Union ministry of urban development; Anoop Kumar Gupta, director, electrical division, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation; U.P.S. Madan, MMRDA commissioner and Ajoy Mehta, BMC commissioner. “We have informally communicated to the board members that the 40-hectare plot of Kanjurmarg is currently under litigation and the MMRC should be given permission to construct the car depot at Aarey Colony to prevent the project from getting delayed,” said a senior MMRC official.

The Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) has declared areas in a four-kilometre radius of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) as eco-sensitive zones. However, MMRC has claimed that it does not restrict construction in Aarey Colony and the car depot is not within the area declared as eco-sensitive.

“The Kanjurmarg plot handing over to the MMRC was expected by December, but it is in litigation and we have not seen any progress till date,” the MMRC official said explaining the rationale behind constructing the depot.

According to MMRC officials, once the clearance from MMRC board members is in hand they will start construction of car depot at Aarey Colony. The project is expected to rise by 10 to 15 per cent from its original cost of Rs 23,136 crore.