The launch of the trial run for Colaba Bandra SEEPZ Metro 3 turned into a war of words between the ruling and opposition parties. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took a swipe at his former boss Uddhav Thackeray saying that they want to score more runs in a few balls. On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also targeted the former chief minister and claimed that the Metro 3 car shed project was stayed because of ego and not on the grounds of environment conservation.
However, the state NCP chief spokesman Mahesh Tapase taunted that the Ed (Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis) government will run out while chasing the runs in the few balls. ‘’CM has admitted that the government has to score more runs in a few balls. This clearly indicates that the government formed after betrayal will not survive for long. The CM is taking all decisions to push the bullet train project which is in the best interest of Gujarat but not taking decisions concerning Maharashtra,’’ he said.
‘’We don't have full time to bat. We only have two and a half years. So we want to score more runs in a few balls," said Shinde. He further clarified that the government does not want to start the project and later wait for six months.
Shinde said, “Ashwini Bhide (who has been brought back as the MD of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation) is looking after the work of Mumbai Metro. She has been here since the beginning. After our government came, we issued the first order of her reinstatement. In the end, it is the officer who works and devotes himself/herself to the work, who delivers the work of the government to the people. We want to do more work in the limited period.’’
Shinde said his deputy Devendra Fadnavis has five years of experience of the state chief minister and now he will be with him. ‘’Earlier you were struggling with only one (CM), now it is 'ek se bhale do'. We will not do politics but we are going to give people what they want,"he noted.
‘’This is a government of the common people. It is a government focused on infrastructure. There is a government that gives justice to every element of this state. So everyone feels that this government should have come a little earlier. However, now the Shiv Sena BJP coalition government, which was desired by the people, has been formed in Maharashtra,’’ said Shinde.
Shinde in the wake of ongoing protests against the development of the Metro 3 car shed in Aarey Colony clarified that the government was committed to maintaining an environmental balance but while carrying out our Metro project it does not mean the damage has been done to the environment. ‘’However, when we come here, we can see that there are roads on all three sides of it. There is no issue that we are going to the forest and cutting down the trees and destroying the forest resources. The car shed project was approved by the High Court, the Supreme Court,’’ he said.
CM claimed that the 33.5 km Metro 3 project was ambitious and it will address the traffic congestion issue.
