A solution is finally in sight to clear the roadblocks for the construction of the much-needed car shed for the much-awaited Metro-9 (Dahisar to Bhayandar) rail route. The ongoing work on this route has gathered momentum, but the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is facing stiff resistance from villagers over the extension of the route and construction of the car shed in Rai village.
A delegation of protesting villagers led by Ashok Patil, met chief minister- Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister-Devendra Fadnavis in the presence of MMRDA commissioner- SVR Srinivas, local legislator- Pratap Sarnaik, UDD principal secretary - Sonia Sethi, district collector (Thane)- Ashok Shingare and Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) chief - Dilip Dhole at the Sahyadri Guest House on Monday. Patil who also heads the Bhumiputra Samajik Samanvay Sanstha, explained the plights of the traditional farming community and villagers whose age-old homes and farmlands were bound to be damaged leading to irreparable loss of livelihood.
Patil also expressed his dissatisfaction over the fact that only the land of poor farmers was reserved leaving other parcels belonging to the rich left untouched. Meanwhile, Sarnaik suggested further extension of the route from Bhayandar to Uttan which will increase ridership due to the presence of important landmarks like Rambhau Mhalgi Prabhodhini and tourist destinations like Global Vipassana Pagoda.
“Moreover, there were huge tracts of government-owned vacant land parcels which could be used for the construction of the car shed and other developmental and beautification work which would create fresh avenues for revenue generation for the MMRDA,” said Sarnaik. The chief minister has directed the MMRDA to conduct a survey to assess the feasibility of further extension and submit a report at the earliest. While the metro cannot function without a car shed, the total land area proposed for maintenance facilities is 20.0 Ha. An extension of Metro 7 (Andheri East to Dahisar East), the Metro-9 is a 13.581 km route including 1 1.389 long elevated corridors.
