Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro 3 car shed will be moved from the eco-sensitive Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg.
"We have withdrawn all cases registered against people who were protesting against the proposed metro car shed in Aarey. The proposed car shed has been shifted from Aarey to Kanjurmarg," CM Uddhav Thackeray said while addressing the state. Thackeray said that an order has been issued for developing of Metro 3 and Metro 6 car shed at Kanjurmarg on the government land.
He said the building which has come up in Aarey forest will be utilised for some other public purpose. "About Rs 100 crore expenditure was incurred for the purpose and it won't go waste," he said.
Thackeray said the government had earlier declared 600 acre of Aarey land as forest but now it has been revised to 800 acre. There will be no infringement on rights of tribals in the Aarey forest, he added. He also said Maharashtra government has withdrawn all cases against protesters who opposed metro car shed at Aarey.
The Maharashtra government in September decided to reserve 600-acre Aarey land near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in suburban Mumbai as a forest and conserve the same.
While addressing the state, CM Thackeray said the state government has started a campaign called 'Vikel Te Pikel'. "Farmers are participating in this in large numbers. During this campaign, Maharashtra Onion project in Nashik was recently launched," Thackeray said.
While talking about farms bills, Uddhav Thackeray said: "We will not accept farm bills blindly. We are analysing its impact, objections. We are talking with farmer organisations. Only after deliberations, we will go ahead with it."
CM Uddhav Thackeray also spoke about the importance of wearing face masks and urged people to wear masks while commuting in public transport. "A lot of people are being irresponsible in the fight against coronavirus. Though the situation is under control, the virus is spreading fast in rural areas of the state too. People should take more care and not venture out without face masks. Don't create a situation wherein the government will have to impose lockdown again," Thackeray warned.
With a rising demand of restarting the local trains for general public, Thackeray hinted that the suburban railway services in Mumbai will not be resumed soon, but efforts will be taken to increase the frequency of trains to avoid crowding.
The Maharashtra Chief Minister also took a swipe at BJP, Raj Thackeray and Prakash Ambedkar for running repeated campaigns for reopening of temples. He said we care about people in Maharashtra and the state government will reopen the temples with caution.
