Hospital relents,MMRDA to raze wall for Metro corridor

“We had several discussions with the hospital trust and they have agreed to give us the space to construct one pier and allow the temporary demolition of the compound wall,” an MMRDA official said. “The work of demolition of the boundary wall has started.”

The trust has also permitted the MMRDA to use a part of its land on a temporary basis for the construction work. “With this,a major and last hurdle has been cleared,” the official said.

The MMRDA aims to complete the 11-km Metro corridor,the construction of which started in 2008,by the end of this year.

Land acquisition issues at the Sarvodaya Hospital and Maheshwar temple on the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road were hindering the construction of the corridor.

Last month,the urban development department issued a notification stating it was necessary to acquire a plot on the temple premises in Asalfa to complete the widening of the Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road. The land is crucial for the construction of a Metro station in Asalfa.

The Sarvodaya Hospital trust was demanding an MoU on the pending compensation issue related to the land acquisition for the expansion work on the link road.

“We are still working on the MoU. There would be no need for compensation for the temporary acquisition of land for the construction work as we will reconstruct their boundary wall,” the MMRDA official said. “For the pier,whatever little is required,the MMRDA will compensate the trust accordingly.”