Reversing BMC’s decision, Maharashtra to reserve land in Aarey Colony for Metro car shed

When the Maharashtra government reviews Mumbai’s development plan, it is likely to reserve land in Goregaon’s Aarey Colony for a Metro car shed. In doing so, it will reverse the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) decision to reject the proposal to reserve such a plot.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government has six months to review the development plan that the BMC’s general body passed earlier this week with 266 amendments. Reserving land in the ecologically sensitive Aarey colony was the only bone of contention and was voted out.

“The amendment will be reversed. We issued a final notification for the Metro car shed in Aarey Colony. We instructed the BMC were to incorporate all notifications passed by the government while considering the DP. If they haven’t, we will,” said an official from the state urban development department.

The BJP and the Shiv Sena have often tussled over the proposed Metro car shed at Aarey. While the Sena-led BMC is against the proposal, the BJP-led state government has been pushing for it, saying there is a lack of alternative plots where the shed can be built.

During the BMC’s general body meeting, Shiv Sena members voted against reserving Aarey land for a Metro car shed in the DP, while BJP corporators voted in favour of it.

The DP had suggested converting 33 hectares of Aarey Colony, a green lung and a no-development zone, to a car shed. The shed is part of the fully underground 33.5-km Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro corridor.

“The government will scrutinise the amendments and then decide,” said Nitin Kareer, principal secretary of the state urban development department.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), the state agency implementing the project, gave a firm in New Delhi the contract to construct the shed. Construction is likely to begin in October.

“The BMC’s decision to reject the proposal was just a suggestion. It is not binding. We will wait for the state government to take a call on the issue. In the meantime, we will focus on other parts of the Metro corridor,” said a senior MMRC official.

The Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro will connect south Mumbai to the western suburbs and link important business districts such as Nariman Point, Bandra Kurla Complex and SEEPZ. The corridor will also connect to the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport, and intersect the 11.4-km Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro.