Green hurdle before Metro depots at Charkop,Mankhurd

Communiques on the crucial car sheds have been going back and forth for over a year now. “The committee has put some conditions and we have replied is not possible to implement them. They have suggested that washing activities of the rakes should not be carried out in the CRZ portion of the land,as half of it falls in CRZ area. It is difficult to demarcate which portion falls where. Secondly they have suggested the CRZ portion will not have a roof,which is not possible,” said Ratnakar Gaikwad,Metropolitan Commissioner.

The land for the proposed deposed depots measure 12 hectares in Charkop and 24 hectares in Mankhurd.

The construction of the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor too was caught in a legal dispute over the depot land. That plot was handed over a year after construction was started by the Reliance Infrastructure Ltd-led consortium. “We are keeping a close eye on the issue of the depot land as it is the crucial aspect of the project. We hope it will be cleared by January,by when we expect work to start,” said a source in Mumbai Metro Transport Pvt Ltd.

Gaikwad did not give a time-frame for when the Authority expects clearance for the depots. “We are constantly in touch with them,our meetings are happening,let us see.”

To cut down on the delays in procuring land for Metro and monorail depots,the MMRDA has sought the reservation of 1,045 acres from the government. This will not be easy as such land belongs to several government agencies like the BMC and the revenue department,which are reluctant to part with it.