BJP trying to halt Metro car shed work through Centre: Nawab Malik

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The Centre has written to Maharashtra chief secretary saying the Kanjurmarg Metro car shed land belongs to it, state minister Nawab Malik said on Tuesday and accused the BJP of conspiring to halt the project work through the Union government.

However, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar said the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government was creating a “delusion” about its functioning and slowing down major infrastructure projects.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray last month announced the scrapping of the Aarey Metro car shed. He said the project will now be shifted to a government land in Kanjurmarg and no cost will be incurred for the purpose.

Earlier, the previous Devendra Fadnavis-led state government had finalised land in the Aarey Colony, Mumbai”s green lung, for the car shed.

Malik said the letter sent by the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade to state Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar on the issue contends the land has been allotted for the car shed project in a “wrong manner”.

Malik said the salt pan land concerned belongs to the state and the project will take shape on that site only.

“Initially, people in the BJP said it is a private land. Now, the Centre is saying (in the letter) that the saltpan land belongs to it,” he said.

“Seeing all this, it seems the BJP people want to lay roadblocks in the Metro works,” the NCP national spokesperson said in a video message.

“The Kanjurmarg car shed will merge two lines of Mumbai, a car shed that will benefit 20 lakh people. It is clear now that the BJP has started conspiring on how to stop it through the Centre,” he alleged.

Malik also said that as per his information, the Centre had in 2002 transferred several salt pan lands to the state government.

“It is our governments land…The previous government had affirmed it. The car shed will come up there only,” the minister said.

Talking to reporters, NCP”s Lok Sabha member Supriya Sule also insisted that the land belongs to Maharashtra.

“It is unfortunate. The Centre is intervening in the development of Maharashtra. This is injustice to Maharashtra,” she alleged.

However, BJP MLA Shelar in a statement questioned the state government”s intention of planning to shift the Metro-3 car shed to the Kanjurmarg land, which is a salt pan and comes under the salt commissioner.

There is no information in public domain that the state has received this piece of land from the department concerned for construction of Metro-3 car shed, he said.

“Is there any hidden agenda of the state on salt pans in the name of shifting the car shed to Kanjurmarg? It looks like this government is creating a delusion about its functioning and, in fact, slowing down the major infrastructure projects,” Shelar alleged.

The former state minister also alleged that the Shiv Sena-led MVA government has not yet given clear answers on whether a fresh development plan for the Kanjurmarg land has been prepared, or if the technical study has been completed.