Explore Kalina as an option for building Metro-3 carshed instead of Aarey: CM Fadnavis
Aarey Colony. Picture Courtesy: saveaarey.org
In a welcome move, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday asked the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (MMRCL) to explore the possibility of constructing the Metro-3 carshed at Kalina instead of Aarey Colony.
Earlier, four activists had met Fadnavis to discuss their apprehensions about building the carshed in the heavily forested Aarey. The construction involved the removal of 5,012 trees, of which 1,331 were supposed to be cut and 3,681 transplanted.
Following the meet, CM said that he has asked Ashwini Bhide, Managing Director, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, to explore other options.
“We are open to other alternatives. An option of a plot at Kalina was suggested and I have asked Ashwini Bhide to explore it as an alternative,” Fadnavis told a group of reporters.
The proposed land in Kalina is located near Mumbai University’s campus and measures over 26 hectares. It will soon be surveyed by the Metro authorities for a feasibility study.
Fadnavis also clarified that the government was not exactly keen on building the carshed inside Aarey colony.
He further stated that the government has also declined MMRCL’s demand of commercially exploiting the proposed carshed. “There will be no commercial activity in Aarey. It was MMRCL’s demand and the government has not accepted it,” Fadnavis added.
The construction of the Metro-3 carshed has become a major bone of contention between MMRCL and a group of citizens, environmentalists and political parties.
While citizens been campaigning to shift the location to protect the green cover and the environment, a host of political parties have used it to attack the BJP government and gain political mileage.
The CM’s announcement comes barely three days before the upcoming BMC elections, in which many political figures and parties have urged citizens to vote for the party that does the most to save the city’s green cover.
