With the state government officially shifting the disputed Metro 3 depot back to the Aarey forest area, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has written to the state urban development department, seeking the Kanjurmarg plot for the ongoing Metro-6 (Swami Samarth Nagar-JVLR-Powai-Vikhroli) depot.
Confirming the development, an MMRDA official, on condition of anonymity, said the letter, dispatched last week, states that only 15-20 hectares are needed for the depot. He said the area is less than what was proposed earlier for the integrated depot of three metro corridors – 3, 4 and 6.
The official told the Free Press Journal that since Metro-6 has attained significant completion of work (nearly 80%) and is officially scheduled for mid-2024 opening, it is necessary to begin the depot work now.
The crucial nerve centre of any metro line, its depot is a place where the rolling stock is parked. It is also used for preventive, corrective and major maintenance activities, which ensure proper functioning of the rolling stock.
Zoru Bhathena, an activist and petitioner of the Save Aarey campaign, said that a private claimant had filed an application of contempt in a civil court over the MMRDA starting the work on integrated depot at Kanjurmarg in 2020. He said it acted as a roadblock, and the application was withdrawn in July this year. It only shows that there never was any litigation on the Kanjurmarg plot, Bhathena said.
The activist alleged, “However, the Fadnavis-supported state government never wanted the Metro 3 depot to come up anywhere but Aarey.” He added that even if Line 3 depot doesn’t come up, Line 6 depot will at least come up as proposed.
