The Maharashtra Government is exploring an option of development of car shed for Metro 3 and Metro 6 lines at Pahadi-Goregaon near Oshiwara in north-west Mumbai. The state government has asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to prepare a technical report. MMRDA is expected to submit the technical report in next two months and based on that the fate of Metro line 3 car shed will be decided.
This is important as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday announced that 600 acre of land in Aarey Milk Colony in North Mumbai has been marked as a reserve forest. Nearly 20% of the Aarey Colony land will come under the reserve forest category. Thackeray and his son Aaditya, who is Environment Minister, have said the decision has been taken in the larger interest of Mumbai and also to protect the interests of the tribal community residing there.
A senior officer from the Urban Development Department said the government has not yet taken any decision to scrap the Metro 3 car shed project in Aarey Colony. ‘’As of now the metro car shed project will not be covered under the 600 acres of land marked as a reserve forest in the Aarey Milk Colony. However, MMRDA has been asked to prepare a technical feasibility report on Pahadi-Goregaon near Oshiwara land to assess whether a combined car shed for Metro 3 and Metro 6 projects can be developed there. More than 45 hectare land will be needed for the same. The government has also proposed the establishment of Law University in the adjoining land.’’
He however, said the government will take a decision on car shed only after studying the MMRDA’s technical report. He informed that the government will take various factors including the cost and time overruns in the completion of Metro 3 and Metro 6 projects and the financial viability.
