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Mumbai: Former chief minister and Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday alleged that the new committee formed by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to recommend an alternate site for the Metro 3 car shed at Aarey Milk Colony, is just a farce. Speaking to newspersons here at state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office, the former chief minister further alleged that the committee report is ready well in advance stating that the car shed should not be made at Aarey Milk Colony and also moves are afoot to ensure a windfall for some developers.
The former chief minister stated that despite the fact that the Manoj Sounik committee had in its report recommended to the government that the car shed for the Metro 3 line is only feasible at the Aarey Milk Colony site, the MVA government is adamant at shifting the location of the car shed at Kanjurmarg which is further 8 Kms away. The courts have imposed a stay on the construction work at Kanjurmarg site.
Fadnavis termed the setting up of a new committee as a “farce” as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has already kept the report ready and the Committee is to just merely authenticate it. The former chief minister alleged that some MMRDA officials are misguiding Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. He further contended that if the chief minister still goes ahead with the pre-planned MMRDA report for the committee then he stands to be accused of collusion as attempts are also afoot to ensure windfall for private developers.
The former chief minister in a letter addressed to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has alleged gross negligence over the Metro lines in Mumbai. Fadnavis added when the Aarey Milk Colony site was perfect considering all aspects, yet the Kanjurmarg site is being insisted upon. He further alleged that some administration officials are misguiding the Chief Minister.
Fadnavis added that the misleading information is not only going to cost financially and delay the project by at least four years. Attempts are now being made to project that the car shed site at Aarey Milk Colony is available only up to 2031 thereafter a new site will have to be found.
Terming the contention as an absolute lie, the former chief minister disclosed that the final design capacity of Metro 3 is for year 2053 taking into account the population projection then and increase in passenger footfalls. Taking the projection for 2053 the car depot needs to have that much space to accommodate the 8 car rakes.
He further disclosed that by 2053, a total of 55 rakes of 8 coaches will be needed, while, in 2031 a total of 42 rakes of 8 coaches will be needed. On the day of inauguration in all 31 rakes of 8 coaches will be needed. The Aarey Technical committee after considering all the above logistical requirements had allocated 30 hectares of land at Aarey Milk Colony. In the first phase approval was given for construction on 25 hectares where 8 car 42 rakes are going to be accommodated.
Thereafter, taking note of the forecast based on Peak Hour passenger ridership norms between 2031 to 2053, 13 more rakes of 8 cars will need to be added to the fleet. For this purpose the additional land will be required. The requirement of the 1.4 hectares land shall be met from the remaining 5 hectares land. There are about 160 trees on the 1.4 hectare land which are to be relocated and replanted in phases till 2053.
Fadnavis argued that taking note of the final design capacity of the Metro car shed at Aarey, there is enough land available there. He further added that in order to shift the metro car shed at Kanjurmarg three times more trees will have to be cut. Fadnavis remarked that only because of adamant attitude of some crores of rupees damage is being incurred. Moreover, Mumbaikars who otherwise would have got to avail the Metro services by end of 2021 now will not be getting to avail it for another 4 years.
The private land lease owners have entered into a power of attorney agreement with bid lease owners of Author and Jenkins and the state government is having talks with them. It is being decided between the state government and the lease owners for earmarking large portions for Open Residential and Commercial Use and the rest of the land would be taken over by the state government. This move means a windfall for the private developers.
Fadnavis disclosed that the previous government had received a proposal for construction of one lakh low cost housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). The government had also set up a committee to examine the proposal. However, it was later learnt that the land was leased for Salt Pan land. If the terms and conditions of the lease land were to be violated by changing the land use the land would get transferred to the Central Government. Hence the previous government had urged the Centre to allocate the land for construction of low cost housing for the poor under PMAY on which the decision is still pending.
The former chief minister alleged that considering both the above issues, some officials are deliberately misleading Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. The report on relocating the Aarey car shed is already ready and the committee and consultants is nothing but a farce. This means crores of rupees worth loss for the government and bonanza for the private persons. All this will come out in the open in due course of time and the Chief Minister could be unnecessarily accused of collusion.
Fadnavis further demanded that keeping in mind the interest of Mumbaikars action should be taken against the guilty officials and work on the Metro 3 car shed should be started at the earliest.
Commenting further on the proposal of merger of Metro 2 and Metro 3 lines, the leader of opposition in legislative assembly termed it as totally impractical. Taking the Metro 3 line into consideration the car shed cost is just 1% of the total project cost. Under such circumstances relocating the car shed 8 Kms away from Aarey Milk Colony will result in escalation of project cost by 4,000 to 5,000 crore rupees.
Furthermore, different Metro routes are to be brought into operation at different times and the signalling systems too are different. The idea of integration of the signalling systems will mean further project delays and cost escalation thereby increasing the burden, added Fadnavis.
