Metro to dislodge MLA hostel

Even as the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena are at loggerheads regarding the handing over of 17 civic-owned plots for the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro-3 underground corridor, the state government on Saturday announced it would give up around 700 sq.metres of land for the Metro-3 project. The land is owned by the public works department (PWD) department and currently is used as Amdar Niwas in south Mumbai.

The Amdar Niwas is a term used to denote the official address of MLAs who are allotted homes by the state government, which is located near Mantralaya.

In a government resolution (GR) dated September 17, of the PWD, stated, “In accordance to the request made by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) officials for implementing the underground project of Metro-3 it is declared that three plots would be allotted to the MMRC for implementing the project on a permanent basis.”

The three plots measure around 708 square metres and would be used by the MMRC for construction of entry and exit of the Vidhan Bhavan underground metro station.

The MMRC awarded work order to civil contractors in August, for the construction of the entire 33.5 km-long Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro-3 underground corridor with the total civil construction cost being Rs 18,114.9 crore in seven packages.

The MMRC has a requirement of around 78 hectares of land to be acquired for Metro-3, of which 13 hectares would be acquired permanently and 65 hectares on temporary basis.

In total, there would be 27 underground metro stations between Colaba and Seepz, which would be a crucial north-south link as it will connect major central business districts like that of Nariman Point, Bandra-Kurla Complex and Seepz in Andheri.

The total cost of the project is Rs 25,000 crore, of which the JICA will be funding 57 per cent. However, the cost could increase further with additional delays in the project.