Mumbai: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has refused to change the name of Dadar east monorail station to Vitthal Mandir monorail station as demanded by the Shiv Sena and residents from Wadala.
The MMRDA has cited that it has already made all the preparations and it has been already decided to go ahead with name of Dadar east Monorail station.
“The name of Dadar east monorail station has been printed on every official record. Also lakhs of rupees have been spent on preparing the boards that read ‘Dadar east’ monorail station. We had received the letter but there is no plan to change the name. It also includes the cost factor for which the contractor would ask additional money. As this is not in the part of the contract,” said a senior MMRDA official on conditions of anonymity.
A citizen group from Wadala named Citizen Vigilance Committee claiming to have support from Shiv Sena had written to the MMRDA earlier this month, citing that the Dadar east Monorail station is located next to more than 350 years old Vitthal Temple and the authority should name it as Vitthal Mandir Monorail station.
When asked whether the demand by Shiv Sena and locals of Wadala would be considered or not? Mr Fadnavis, did not comment on the issue, and said, “The code of conduct is in force currently.”
The MMRDA aims to commission the second phase between Wadala and Jacob Circle in Mahalaxmi of the Monorail by May 2017. While the first phase between Chembur and Wadala was commissioned in 2014 and is functional currently.
Recently, there was a lot of lot of hullabaloo about the new station at Oshiwara being named ‘Ram Mandir’, after a temple in the same locality. The city already has stations like Mahalaxmi, Masjid, Churchgate and Mumbra named after several deities.
