Mumbai: In a major victory for environmental activists and local residents, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officially scrapped its contentious plan to build a Metro-9 car shed at Dongri in Mira-Bhayandar. The decision follows months of intense protests against the large-scale cutting and transplantation of more than 11,000 trees required for the project.
Maharashtra Transport Minister and Mira-Bhayandar MLA Pratap Sarnaik announced the move on Monday, confirming that the car shed will now be replaced with an elevated parking lot. A design for this alternative facility has already been prepared.
Metro 9, a 13.58-km elevated corridor between Dahisar East and Mira-Bhayandar, is an extension of the Metro 7 line. Its first phase, from Dahisar to Kashigaon, is expected to open in the last week of December. However, the project, announced in 2016, has been marred by delays stemming from land acquisition challenges and prolonged public opposition to proposed depot sites.
Metro 9 stations |
Earlier, MMRDA had earmarked 32 hectares of agricultural land in Rai, Morva, and Murdha villages for the depot. Residents resisted the plan, citing threats to livelihood and environmental damage. In 2024, the authorities shifted focus to a new, larger depot at Uttan-Dongri, proposing a 59.65-hectare facility that involved extending the Metro route by 5.5 km.
This plan, too, faced fierce local backlash, particularly after the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation approved the removal of 1,406 trees on World Environment Day, June 5. When tree felling began shortly afterward, protests escalated rapidly.
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Sarnaik Meets Civic Officials Over Issues
With local body elections approaching, ruling party leaders grew increasingly cautious about the political cost of pushing the depot plan. Sarnaik convened a meeting on Monday with state officials, including additional metropolitan commissioner Ashwin Mudgal, MBMC commissioner Radha Binod Sharma and environmental activists. Following the discussion, he announced the cancellation of the Dongri depot and assured that a formal notification would be issued soon.
Sarnaik said the elevated parking lot, planned at the Subhash Chandra Bose Ground, the last Metro-9 station, will accommodate around eight trains, eliminating the need for new land acquisition. He also clarified that the change will not derail the project timeline. Phase 1 remains slated to open this December, while the full line is expected to be operational by December 2026.
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