Maharashtra Govt to shift Metro-3 depot from Aarey to Kanjurmarg in Mumbai

Mumbai, India (Urban Transport News): Finally the Maharashtra Government found the new land for the development of Metro Carshed for Mumbai Metro Line-3. Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray today said that the government is now shifting the metro car shed project from Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg in Mumbai. 

He said that the depot will be shifted to government land in Kanjurmarg at no cost as the land will be available at zero rates.

Talking about some building already built in the Aarey colony, he said that the building which has come up in Aarey forest will be utilised for some other public purpose. "About ₹100 crore expenditure was incurred for the purpose and it won't go waste," he said.

He further said that the government had earlier declared 600 acres of Aarey land as forest but now it has been revised to 800 acres. There will be no infringement on the rights of tribals in the Aarey forest.

Thackeray said that Biodiversity in Aarey needs to be conserved and protected. Nowhere is there an 800-acre jungle in an urban setup. Mumbai has a natural forest cover.

The decision of the Maharashtra government is welcomed by Green activists who were on protest for a long time. The decision to relocate the car shed from the Aarey colony came amid reports that the state government was considering if two of the upcoming Metro lines could share a maintenance facility.

"Car depot of Metro 6 & Metro 3 will be common at Kanjurmarg. The land for the same has been handed over to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) last week, for a sum of ₹0/- (Free of cost) and soil testing has begun. It was always told it’ll cost more than ₹10,000 crores. It happens for be free," said Aaditya Thackeray, Minister of Tourism and Environment for Government of Maharashtra.

Reacting to the current Government's decision, Ex-Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said:

Unfortunate decision to shift Metro CarShed from Aarey to Kanjurmarg and that too just to satisfy the ego. This decision will increase the cost of the project by at least ₹4000 crores and this cost escalation is assessed by the committee appointed by this Government.

Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) officials also expressed apprehension that the Mumbai Metro 3 project may be delayed by three years and its cost may go up by over ₹2,000 crores if the car shed for the line was shifted from Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg.

For more details about the project, please explore the Mumbai Metro page of Urban Transport News.