Around 10,000 residents who do not concede to plans of constructing Metro-2B above the ground, will come out on streets forming a human chain between Andheri and Bandra.
Residents of Bandra, Khar, and Juhu, who have been demanding that DN Nagar-Mandale Metro-2B corridor be constructed underground, have organised mass protests. Around 10,000 residents who do not concede to plans of constructing Metro-2B above the ground, will come out on streets forming a human chain between Andheri and Bandra.
The residents have said that they plan to form a human chain on October 5, between 1 pm and 3 pm. These residents have also filed three public interest litigations (PIL) in the Bombay High Court where the matter is currently being heard.
These people have been demanding Metro-2B to be built underground considering the roads in the area such as SV Road and Link Road are very narrow. If the Metro corridor is constructed on an elevated platform, the buildings on these roads will have no buffer area left.
Gautam Rao, a resident of Santacruz, said, "Our matter will be heard by the High Court on Tuesday and we are hoping the court will understand our problems. We are also planning to form a human chain on October 5 to make the state government pay heed to our demand. The local representatives are in our favour, but the state is yet to consider our plea."
Rao added: "Now MMRDA would say that they have already appointed contractors for construction and work on soil testing has started. But the contract can always be re considered, since this project will affect lives for many years. If it is built underground, there would also be scope to expand the capacity.
Raghavanand Haridas, another Santacruz resident, said, "The roads are so narrow that no buffer zone will be left once the Metro is constructed, especially on roads like SV Road. Anyway, in most cities across the world, such as London and Tokyo, Metro corridors are built underground. The state government should consider our demands."
However, transport expert AV Shenoy said, "I would say an underground corridor is both technically and financially more feasible. Also, expanding the capacity of Metro built on an elevated platform is very challenging. Anyway, as far as my knowledge concerns, constructing Metro 2B underground poses no technical challenge either."
Taking cognizance of protests, the MMRDA had earlier decided to build 2B underground, but retracted four years ago. They claimed the underground plan would not be technically or financially viable.
Currently, only Metro 3 corridor is being built underground. Metro-2B DN Nagar-Mandale corridor is 23.5-km-long and is a part of the Metro 2 (Dahisar-Charkop—Bandra-Mandale). The line was also divided into two parts namely Dahisar-DN Nagar Metro-2A, DN Nagar-Mandale Metro-2B.
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