MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): The state cabinet is set to approve a proposal to allocate 71.04 hectares of land in Mogharpada, Thane, to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the construction of car sheds for four metro routes. This move aims to expedite the metro construction process.
The designated plot, situated in Survey No 30, will serve as the site for car sheds catering to Metro 4 (connecting Wadala to Kasarwadavli), Metro 4A (connecting Kasarwadavli to Gaimukh), Metro 10 (Gaimukh to Shivaji Chowk in Mira Road), and Metro 12 ( Kalyan to Taloja).
Metro 4, is the lengthiest metro route in Mumbai spanning more than 32 kilometers. Due to the absence of a car shed, the construction work has faced many challenges. Currently, only 43 percent of the civil work has been completed, resulting in several missed project deadlines. MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee and his predecessor, S V R Srinivas, have been actively advocating for the state to allocate the necessary plot for this purpose.
Since assuming office as chief minister, Eknath Shinde has been pushing to expedite the Metro 4 project, given its significance in connecting his constituency in Thane to Mumbai.
The Mogharpada plot, originally state-owned and used for agricultural purposes, had been leased out to 167 lessees. It is situated in close proximity to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Ghodbunder Road.
In June, several Mogharpada residents voiced opposition to the car shed construction, demanding adequate compensation for the locals before proceeding with the project. Local villagers even staged a protest in front of the Thane revenue office during a visit by revenue and MMRDA officers before the monsoon.
Local Shiv Sena representatives, who had been supporting the villagers’ cause, wrote to then MMRDA commissioner SVR Srinivas, urging him to halt the process. As per the proposed policy, the land occupiers are likely to receive 22.5 percent of the developed land as compensation, following a model similar to CIDCO‘s policy.
In August, MMRDA successfully acquired land for a car shed for the proposed Metro Line 12, which will connect Kalyan to Taloja, specifically at Niljepada. The Thane collector transferred 47 hectares of land in Niljepada to MMRDA for this purpose.
