Mumbai: Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro Line-III has one of its proposed station at the Siddhivinayak temple, where the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) expects to get a significant number of passengers daily.
Siddhivinayak is one of Mumbai’s popular temples of Lord Ganpati where every day around 20,000 devotees visit, while the number of devotees visiting the temple on Tuesdays is more than 50,000.
As a good number of people are expected to use the Metro line-III, the metro authority plans to lease out the stations’ space for commercial use to generate revenue.
As per MMRCL’s plan, the Siddhivinayak station has been designed as a three-level structure, with the mezzanine level located between the concourse and ground level.
This level is expected to be leased out as a commercial space that could be used for retail, organised commercial space, offices or banks, educational institutes, restaurants etc.
Pertinently, the revenue earned along with other sources of finance will be utilised by MMRCL to bridge the financing gap for the overall Metro line 3 of the public infrastructure project.
Moreover, the Siddhivinayak temple authority, which provides monetary help to patients from the donations received, has plans to approach the Metro-III authority to avail the leased-out spaces.
A senior official from the temple authority said, “Presently, family members of patients have to come here and fill up the form to get medical funds. But once the metro line is made operational, they can avail the facility from a nearest metro station, instead of coming to the temple.
“The idea is still at a nascent stage and similar plans will be discussed with the metro authority for the facility of citizens.”
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