BJP, Shiv Sena spar over Metro 3

Mumbai Metro III is the reason behind the latest spat between Shiv Sena and BJP, both ruling parties in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Despite stiff opposition from its alliance partner, the BJP, which helms the civic improvements committee, has passed a proposal to permanently hand over 7,796 sq m land spread across 17 different locations in the city for the project.

So much so, the proposal saw new equations emerge in the civic body. While Sena was backed by its bête noire MNS, the BJP was supported by Congress, NCP and the Samajwadi Party (SP). Owing to opposition from Sena-MNS, the proposal was put to voting where it cleared by an 11:8 margin.

Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), which is implementing the project, has demanded 17 plots from the civic body for building the 33.5-km Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro-III line, which has 27 stations.

In a special discussion held in the Improvements Committee on Wednesday, MMRC Managing

Director Ashwini Bhide said that 0.78 hectare (7,796 sq m) and 5.39 hectare of land parcels will be required from the civic body on a permanent and temporary basis, respectively.

The BMC’s proposal includes giving several prominent open spaces, gardens, parking lots, a fire brigade centre land and an arms depot for construction of the Metro-III route. The land will be used for construction of metro stations, inward-outward rooms, ventilation shafts, godowns, depots and TBM launching purposes.

Ms Bhide said, “The land which we will be taking on a temporary basis will be completely reinstated in the same manner once the construction work on the project is completed. We are planning to complete the project by 2020.”

Additional municipal commissioner S.V.R. Srinivas said that the civic body will get '250 crore from the land, which it will give to MMRC. “We have been assured that the land which MMRC will be taking on temporary basis will be reinstated properly,” he said.

Defending the decision to support the proposal, Congress corporator Mohsin Haider said that the Metro is a project originally kick-started by their party, which is why they have decided to support it.