Mumbai: 'Metro woman' Ashwini Bhide back as MMRC boss

Mumbai: As a corollary to the Shinde-Fadnavis government’s decision to bring back the Metro 3 car shed to Aarey Colony, senior IAS officer Ashwini Bhide, 1995 batch, popularly known as the ‘Metro woman’, has been reinstated as the managing director of the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC). Bhide, who is currently posted as the additional commissioner of BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation after having been removed as MMRC MD in May 2020, will hold additional charge of the MMRC till further orders. The general administration department and additional chief secretary, Nitin Gadre, issued the order on Tuesday.

Bhinde’s appointment is important, as the Shinde-Fadnavis government has decided to fast-track the completion of the metro carshed for the Colaba-SEEPZ Metro 3 corridor in Aarey Colony, despite protests by the Shiv Sena, the NCP, the Congress and various citizen organisations. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said 25 per cent of the work has been done at the place cleared by the Supreme Court in the Aarey area during the tenure of the BJP government, and the remaining 75 per cent of the work can be done immediately. He defended the new government’s decision, saying that in the interest of Mumbaikars, the metro must be started at the earliest, while the carshed work in Aarey should continue.

The Metro 3 project is a 33.5km-long underground corridor, running along Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ. The length of the corridor is marked by 27 key stations, of which 26 will be underground and one at grade.

The previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government had transferred Bhide, as the Shiv Sena and the former environment minister, Aaditya Thackeray, in particular, were not happy with Bhide’s insistence on the development of metro carshed at Aarey. Bhide was MMRC MD for almost four years before her transfer in May 2020.

Secy to Dy CM Fadnavis

The state government appointed IAS officer Shrikant Pardeshi as secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Pardeshi has earlier served as the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner, Nanded collector and deputy secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office.

Published on: Tuesday, July 12, 2022, 11:45 PM IST