MUMBAI (Metro Rail News): The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMMRDA) will acquire the 15 hectares of land for the Metro Line 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar-Jogeshwari-Vikhroli-Kanjurmarg) depot. According to officials who know the situation, the state government has ordered Mumbai’s Suburban Collector to turn up the Kanjurmarg property for the depot’s development.
More than 66 per cent of the elevated Metro Line 6 is finished. Therefore, the MMRDA contacted the state government regarding the Kanjurmarg site. The metro line can only begin operating once the depot construction is finished. Kanjurmarg was initially considered as the location for the Metro 6 depot.
However, the former Uddhav Thackeray-led administration constructed an integrated depot instead of moving the Metro Line 3 depot to Kanjurmarg. The initiative was halted by central government intervention due to a dispute over land ownership.
According to a representative of the Mumbai Suburban Collector’s office, all paperwork would be finished by this week.
Later, the Metro Line 3 depot was once moved to Aarey by the Eknath Shinde-led administration. Whereas, The Metro 6 depot was still a point of contention. So the state government ultimately made a choice.
As per the Mumbai Suburban District Collector Rajendra Bhosale, “The state directed to hand over the land to the MMRDA after verifying the court case.” He further mentioned that when land ownership is questioned, the state claims ownership.
However, they have chosen to transfer the land parcel. The Advocate General’s opinion was requested, which claimed that a lawsuit had stayed over adjoining property. Since the MMRDA cancelled the project for the depot on 102 hectares of land, a writ petition for this parcel of land has been resolved. MMRDA only requests 15 hectares.
The MMRDA will provide the Mumbai Suburban District office with an undertaking as the next step. It will emphasise that they will handle any future litigation or required payments.
