Hundreds of concerned citizens turned up for the public hearing on the proposed second metro line organised by MMRDA on Monday.
Hundreds of concerned citizens turned up for the public hearing on the proposed second metro line organised by Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) on Monday. Top officials of the urban development department heard peoples’ grievances throughout the day, as a proposed car shed on a 40-hectare Mhada plot at Charkop stood out as the biggest bone of contention.
While senior BJP leader Ram Naik was among the hundreds who opposed the Metro car depot planned at Charkop in Kandivili, social activist Medha Patkar demanded the hearing be conducted by an independent panel to avoid conflict of interest.
“I oppose the Charkop car shed since it would render over 14 thousand families of Ganesh Nagar, Sanjay Nagar, Lalji Pada, Gandhi Nagar, Ekta Nagar, and Janata Colony homeless. Moreover, there are several schools, temples, mosques, churches, shops and industries which may face the axe. I have submitted the demand before the hearing panel,” said Naik.
Patkar blasted the authority for not being transparent in providing information about the project. “My RTI application was rejected with the excuse that “it may prejudicially affect the sovereignty and integrity of India and the security, strategic, scientific or economic interests of the state”. How can sharing information threaten national security?
We know that the state government has coordinated with Japanese Bank for International Co-operation (JBIC) and private companies for financial help,” Patkar said.
Juhu residents felt that there were serious lacunae in having an elevated Metro Line, and that the ground realities along Metro corridor in Mumbai are different from that in Delhi.
“An elevated mass rapid transport system is not suitable along the Metro corridor, and alternate options such as an underground Metro need to be considered,” said Sherley Singh, secretary, Juhu Scheme Residents’ Association. MMRDA received more than 8,000 suggestion-objections for the 32-km-long project and the authority has replied to over 8,500 letters.
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