Mumbai: A closure seems to be coming on Kanjurmarg land to construct a metro rail car depot as the state government has initiated the process to hand it over to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
The land is required to establish a depot facility for the under construction Metro 6 between Swami Samarth Nagar (Lokhandwala) in Andheri West and Kanjurmarg.
For four years now, there has been a dispute over land ownership with multiple government and private parties staking claim over it.
The execution of Metro 6 to gather pace
While the dispute is being fought in the court, the state government has initiated the process to hand over a part of the larger plot to MMRDA through the Mumbai Suburban Collector.
“The state government has issued an order to give us 15 hectares. We are yet to receive possession, which we hope will happen soon. With this development, the execution of Metro 6 will gather pace,” said an MMRDA official.
A few years ago, the MMRDA and the state government had planned to have a car depot for three metro corridors of 3, 4 and 6. Car depot for Metro 3 (Cuffe Parade-Bandra-SEEPZ) was stiffly opposed by environmentalists and demanded it be moved out of Aarey Milk Colony.
It is now being built at its original location at Aarey Colony. Metro 4 (Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavli) car depot has now moved to Mogharpada along Ghodbunder Road.
Double-decker structure
Metro 6 passes on Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road and is a double-decker structure. The lower deck is an elevated road/ flyover and the upper portion is the metro viaduct (an elevated civil structure that has a rail line). The 2.58km elevated vehicular road section of the engineering structure will provide signal free connection between Western and Eastern Express highways.
The overall construction of the 15.31km corridor is about 70% complete. In all, there are 13 stations dotting the alignment.
