MMRDA to proceed with elevated corridor

Despite opposition from NGOs and resident associations over having an elevated Metro-2 corridor between Dahisar and Mankhurd instead of the earlier planned underground, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) plans to go ahead with an elevated corridor. The work order for civil constructions will be awarded in June, and work will start after the monsoon.

Last week, NGOs and resident associations had come together on a common platform called “Apna Mumbai Abhiyan”, hinting at taking MMRDA to court for its decision to build an elevated Metro line 2 between Dahisar and Mankhurd.

The activists had claimed that MMRDA has not conducted a single public meeting for taking suggestions and objections over building elevated metro corridors. Coming up with elevated metro corridors over already congested arterial roads would permanently damage the cityscape, the activists claimed.

However, the MMRDA claimed it had already taken public suggestions and objections back in 2004 when it was earlier planned as elevated.

The former Congress-NCP government had opted for underground metro corridors over elevated metro corridors in the city. However, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also chairman of MMRDA, in June 2015, announced that all metro corridors in the city would be elevated, as these would drastically bring down costs.

Dahisar-Mankhurd Metro corridor is part of Metro 2 (Dahisar-Charkop—Bandra-Mankhurd), which was earlier planned underground, but was later turned into an elevated corridor. The line was also divided into three parts i.e. Dahisar-DN Nagar, DN Nagar-BKC (Bandra Kurla Complex) and BKC-Mankhurd.

U.P.S. Madan, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA, confirmed J Kumar Infrastructure has been short-listed as the lowest bidder for both the technical and financial bids of Dahisar DN Nagar Metro-2A corridor and that the work on the corridor will began after monsoons.

Subsequently, the civil work orders for the Dahisar DN Nagar Metro-2A corridor, which passes through link road, is to be given next month by the MMRDA.

Hansel D’Souza of Apna Mumbai Abhiyan, said, “We will explore all options to ensure that the Metro-2 corridor between Dahisar and Mankhurd goes underground as per the earlier decision of the MMRDA.”