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DNA Samwad: Mumbai's Metro conundrum

Guests at DNA Samwad this week explore merits of the car shed for Metro-3 at Aarey Colony. While some assert the corridor — with the depot as its nerve centre — will take the load off the suburban rail network while cutting emissions, environmentalists say flora and fauna there is crucial for the city

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Battlelines are drawn between environmentalists and those advocating for a part of Aarey Colony land to go to the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) for the Metro car shed. While activists are crying about the depreciation of a precious green lung, supporters of MMRCL argue that the benefits from the project far outweigh the disadvantages. The MMRCL has also promised to compensate for the tree loss by re-planting and transplanting trees. The corporation has tried to allay fears of possible environmental loss by stating that the land in question is 30 hectares, out of which 25 hectares will be used for the actual project. In addition, what makes it desirable is that the land is accessible from three sides. Environmentalists, however, argue that the roads are in an eco-sensitive zone. This week's DNA Samwad, held on Saturday, brought some of the stakeholders together for a discussion on the project.

FOR

Manjeet Kriplani, civic activist and founder, Gateway House

The conflict between development and infrastructure and maintaining our environment is acute. Unfortunately, India is entering the game very, very late. The activism and awareness of environmental concerns are more acute than the knowledge of the benefits of infrastructure.

In Mumbai, we have gotten used to very poor infrastructure and it's very difficult for all of us to see a big shake-up in the form of Metro. I come from Cuffe Parade, we are project-affected. We have fought many, very early battles and we have saved Colaba Woods, which is a huge, unique environmental area.

At some point, we faced two issues — one, we saved one part of the Colaba Woods but we destroyed another. Second, we found that there was a generation gap between those of us who were fighting to keep things the same and the younger generation that is looking for change. Many of them are well-travelled but they have suffered in this city and feel ashamed of the poor infrastructure. We had initially said that terminals should be in lands that are already encroached on, but you can't do that. You can't throw people out, they are bringing talent to the city.

Metro has become the first piece of major infrastructure that is now throwing up all kinds of issues. India has signed up for the COP 21, COP 16 and COP 14 and we are committed to the global environmental commitments. But the state and city administrations are not up-to-date. We as the middle-class have to start articulating our voices on both sides — on why infrastructure and environment are so important.

Unfortunately, for the citizens, Metro was presented as a fait accompli. We have also studied a lot of the documentation, the feasibility report. The environmental report of Metro 3 is literally half-a-page. So, we know that they have not done their homework. However, we have to try our best to make this work. About Aarey, I think there are some things that have to be fought for and some things that have to be let go of. We fought for Colaba Woods but could not save it entirely. We must negotiate with the government and say, if you are doing this in Aarey, then you have to give us this. We were promised 9,000 trees, that promise has not been fulfilled, but there has to be some way of fulfilling those promises.

The next generation will not forgive us if we don't construct the Metro. We are an emerging market. Let the government do what it has to. Our job is to keep watch and point out mistakes. We have to learn to work with the government and the government has to learn to work with us.

Avinash Gupte, Public Transport advocate

The first proposal for an underground railway came in 1923. The second one came in 1961 and since then, an underground train network has been my dream. It was envisioned by an expert, Dr PG Ptankar.

If in 1963, Mumbai needed a Metro, you can imagine how desperately it needs one now. And we all know what has happened in the past 50 odd years. When we talk about infrastructure and development, we need to do a reality check and asses development needs.

For example, consider a 30-year-old man who uses the suburban rail network every day. What is the quality of his life when he has to go through the two-hour inhuman journey, where people are stacked on to one another. What are we doing about it? And people are talking about 2,000 trees which can be planted or replaced anywhere else. Just take a 1,000 people and ask them to plant 2 trees a day — the environmentalists can do that.

I am very passionate about this project personally and the people who have objections, they may have valid reasons but they need to keep things going. These people who are working on the project are good people, we need to trust them. I have trusted them. They have always maintained transparency. They are doing their job.

I will again insist, the environmentalists, instead of wasting time on these objections and protests, should plant a 1,000 more trees. And for doing so, the government will pay. Don't come in the way of something constructive. It has been a dream of millions of people. So I request people to not come in between this, please. Please do not come in the way of development. The MMRC is doing its job honestly.

Back in 1963, had we executed this project, the cost would have been Rs 17 crore for one line. Do you see the difference in cost? London, if you see, was the first-ever city to have this type of connectivity and they started in the 18th century and they are still working every year on it. They are still improving and doing better. Cross Rail was completed last year and another big line is coming up soon. So we need to match the progress of these cities.

This project, ultimately, will make Mumbai a city worth working and living in.

Suresh Nakhua, Mumbai BJP Spokesperson

All the concerns will be addressed, but there is a lot of confusion being created regarding this issue. For example, someone said the carshed will be located on the flood plains, whereas it comes under the catchment area. The opposition is due to vested interests. The same activists in 2016 proposed Royal Palms to the Technical Committee and in 2017, they filed a complaint against it. One of the NGOs opposing doesn't have an FCRA license but still takes foreign funding. They want to delay the project and this is happening since 2014. Of the 2,700 trees that are affected, more than 400 are being transplanted.

There are no legal hurdles, and the Supreme Court has cleared everything, The Bombay High Court has also cleared the applications filed by activists. The only hurdle I can see is the so-called environment-loving people. They say so many trees are being cut, I will ask you the same question — where were you when 3,000 trees were being cut in Thane? Where were these activists when Film City was being made? Every single day, the cost of delay is over Rs 4.5 crore. Many say that wildlife will perish, but in my personal opinion, it is still advisable to save 10 people from dying on railway tracks. Shiv Sena is an alliance partner and we will discuss the issues with them and resolve them.

Everybody from the party has been putting their points strongly, but then there are similar points being raised by those who are okay with the car shed in Aarey Colony. There might be a convergence between the points raised by MMRDA and us. The members of NGOs are threatening common citizens, asking them to take down their posts against the NGO — I have advised them to go to the police and we will support them. One of the directors of an NGO protesting the carshed was earlier was with another NGO which didn't file its returns, and their FCRA license was finally canceled. They had even approached the Supreme Court, which did not rule in their favour. The NGOs are using schoolchildren to oppose the project. Thus you can understand that they have vested interests and everything will be clear once you come to know where they receive their funding from.

This is nothing but opposition to development by vested interests and there are many lies which are being spread.

AGAINST

Zoru Bhathena, Activist and one of the petitioners

Let us be very clear about one thing — none of us have any kind of opposition to Metro rail in Mumbai. There is no doubt that Metro is going to make life and commuting easy for people. However, will Metro resolve the traffic mess of Mumbai, as it is being claimed? It is still debatable as Delhi, despite having a very intense Metro network, continues to have congested roads.

The bone of contention for us is the car shed depot for Metro 3 inside Aarey. The depot has nothing to do with the day-to-day running of trains and it doesn't mean that the depot cannot be shifted to another location. For instance, the Metro 7 line being constructed from Andheri (E) to Dahisar (E) on Western Express Highway does not have a depot so they connected it to the Metro 2 line. The Metro 2 line from Dahisar (W) to Andheri (W) on Link road also had problems in finding a depot so they have a depot in the middle of the line.

It has to be understood that Aarey is not only a pristine and natural area but it is also unique, and the Wildlife Board itself has said that there are resident leopards found in Aarey. There is talk of how this Metro 3 car shed at Aarey is surrounded on three sides by a road. We would like to clarify that two of the roads fall within the Environment Sensitive Zone (ESZ) and were not allowed for traffic but had to be opened up because of heavy congestion and traffic jams, itself a result of the ongoing Metro work.

A six-member technical committee that included two environmentalists also gave a report that Aarey Colony should be protected and they chose Kanjurmarg for as the alternate location for a carshed.

Trees are not the only things that make a forest. Forest comprises of open spaces, streams, grasslands. Also, wildlife is not only limited to leopards, it even includes birds, deers, scorpions — every little bug is part of the eco system.

The banks of Mithi River have been raised by three meters and the flow of water has also been blocked. An expert committee appointed for Mithi River has said that the Metro depot is one of the causes for the flooding of Mithi River. A case citing the report is pending at the Supreme Court.

Incidentally, till October 2018, the MMRCL said there was no other alternate land available but as soon as the DP 2034 got notified in November 2018, all alternate sites including Cuffe Parade, BKC, Kanjurmarg were opened for various development projects.

Amrita Bhattacharjee, Activist, Aarey Conservation Group

I would like to start by saying that it is the duty of citizens to raise questions, the government must be held accountable for its actions. Let us go according to the data provided by the authorities. They say that the entire area shortlisted for the car shed has 70% grasslands and 17% trees. First, these grasslands are rich and deep. They have already putt sand on parts of it and then they say that the work has not started. In all, 1,000 people living by the Mithi river have to be evacuated every time it floods. I have a recent picture of the river and it was flooded. A depot on Mithi river will stop the flow of water, which will flood the city. If you keep pushing the boundaries of a natural water body, it will revolt. This year itself if you see, in the month of July, and in the first week of September, there was almost 300 mm rain and people had to be evacuated. How many times will you evacuate people? The chosen area has 41 species of native trees, a leopard was spotted at the site. Youth today does not have a lot of money or time, but they have the right to raise the questions they have raised. Environmentalists have been working for years. We need to stop blaming them.

Mumbai is a coastal city, we are a tropical country and we cannot compare ourselves with London or New York. Already, the weather patterns are changing. It doesn't rain for several days, and when it does, it is so much that the city gets flooded. All of Mumbai's lakes are located in forests. Can we have water without forests? There is a case going on in the High Court for Adivasis. The Metro project has taken not just 30 hectares of land but 60 hectares of it. The authorities will make people leave their land, they have destroyed their cowsheds and given them some grasslands. When you are doing so much, then why can't you just find an alternative solution? They say they will cut trees and then plant saplings. Only 30% of the saplings live and the rest are not able to survive. We are spending money to destroy a forest and then to transplant or plant trees.

I have been working for four-and-half-years for Aarey along with Vanashakti NGO. Young school- and college-going students come to us, learn about the issue and advocate for it on social media. In India, we do not even have a good curriculum for environmental studies.

As a citizen, I question the Metro car shed. We are not against development, but for sustainable development. It is very tough to compensate for the destruction caused to the environment.

Manisha Kayande, MLA and Spokesperson, Shivsena

Shiv Sena has made it clear that it is not against the Metro, but is concerned about everyone who comes to Mumbai. Mumbai has been expanding in various directions. As far as the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai is concerned, we are trying to provide the best. We have the best bus and suburban rail service. The problem is that the population grows at an exponential rate but the facilities are not growing at the same rate. There are over seven agencies working for Mumbai, but gradually, the rights of the BMC have been eroded by successive state governments.

Sena has made its position on the carshed clear from day one. We don't want the ecosystem to be disturbed and transplantation of trees is not such a simple matter. You are not transplanting a sapling. I have been teaching Zoology for 33 years and am still learning more. Aarey is a complete ecosystem. It has 27 Adivasi padas with their livelihood. They are happy in their forest, they do not want to move to a 225 sqft house. They have rice fields, they have knowledge about Ayurvedic plants there. There is already a problem of man-animal conflict.

I am not being idealistic but our main concern is why that same location? There were 80,000 complaints — what were they about and what were the replies given? I've been told by someone working in the BMC that the land in Kanjurmarg, 41 hectares of it, is in government's possession. Its ownership needs to be clarified by the government. Recently, the government started chopping trees in a 5-hectare area in Aarey. There is a hearing in the court on 12 cases on Tuesday. The Aarey land has the Mithi river and the flood plains. Badlapur witnessed floods due to construction at the very bank of Ulhas River. Hence, after 2005, major floods are occurring again. The role of the Tree Authority of the BMC is to protect trees. If that is not happening, if they are pressured or not allowed to work, and are made to vote for deforestation by various means, then it is wrong. Tree Authority's 1,000-page report says that the International Airport will be flooded, entire Kalina will be flooded, if the carshed is built. It is more prudent to look for an alternative, even if it means that the project is delayed and the cost is escalated.

Even issues related to the coastal road are getting resolved gradually. But it is not going to affect biodiversity as much as destruction of Aarey will.

The city has a certain capacity and we have to strike a balance between development and the environment. Each one of us wants to travel fast and reach home within half an hour.

Subodh Kumar Gupta, Director (Projects), MMRCL

I would like to start with the point that Aarey is not a forest — this matter has been proved in courts. On the matter of benefits of the project, this is a railway public transport project. Its orientation is the north-south corridor, which is the direction in which Mumbai's traffic goes and it will connect those areas which till now don't have connectivity.

It is connecting important business and transport centres. These include BKC, Parel, conventional trading areas such as Kalbadevi, Grant Road, and Girgaum. Around 14 lakh passengers are expected to use it. The number will rise to 17 lakh in 2031. Most importantly, it will absorb 15-20% traffic from the suburban rail network, which is overcrowded.

When this happens, problems related to suburban railway such as people hanging from trains' doors, falling, getting injured and dying will be mitigated. It is going to be a world-class system — platforms will level with the Metro train's entrance, there is no chance of accidents, those who have boarded will not be able to alight, there will be CCTV cameras, lifts, escalators, facilities for differently-abled persons.

Then there are demands for it to be shifted to another location. Could we have gone to Kanjurmarg? In 2015, the committee that was formed studied nine options. They were zeroed down to two — Aarey and Kanjurmarg and that Kanjurmarg should be considered. Which the MMRC did. The committee took longer than it has asked for, the issue was not resolved even in a year-and-a-half.

On why BKC, Kanjurmarg and Kalina are unsuitable alternatives, I would not like to comment as the findings have already been placed before the Supreme Court, which also took a final call. Why then should they be debated?

It must not be forgotten that the project is on-going and we have tried to build the car shed at an alternate location. But there is no other way. We are a part of many international contracts, they have parallel working channels, their parallel execution is on and all have to converge so that the project can be commissioned.

Now, have these options been studied? Yes. Have they passed the scrutiny of courts? Yes. I am happy that Amrita ji is here — she had moved the Supreme Court with an interim application and I am carrying that interim application. It said that there are these options that must have been tried and Metro should be asked to go to an alternate location. What happened to that interim application? The SC discharged it. The SC decided after hearing both parties that the depot has to be constructed in Aarey — is this issue still open? I am afraid not. Those who are guiding or misguiding people that an option exists are actually breaching the orders of the court.

The second issue being raised is that the depot is immaterial, it can be anywhere — that is not the case. If you are to run trains every two to three minutes, and if your trains are running in a sequence wherein if one train stops, your whole system shuts down, you have to have a depot at a location and service it in such a way that your system may run smoothly. The depot is the nerve centre.

The third point is that Metro will not reduce traffic. I beg to differ. I have worked on Delhi Metro for 17 years. Wherever the lines were made, traffic reduced. But for a major change to take place, you have to have the full network. That happens in stages. The day you become a full network, people move. Today, 4 lakh people are moving on Line 1 in Mumbai. I'm sure some traffic must have shifted to Metro. If you consider Paris and London — most of the traffic is on railways, you don't see much traffic on the roads. Are these two not related? If you have an alternate way of travelling, then why will you take a vehicle? When mobility grows, the economy grows. But you have to provide a railway system.

Another issue is the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report being is half-a-page. Our EIA is a fairly good document and it is was prepared by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). We got it done even though we were not mandated to do it. Aarey measures 1,200-odd hectares. There are Adivasi padas in Aarey, but not in this 30-hectare area. There is no wildlife per se in this area. The leopards do stray into this area as the Adivasis have cattle sheds, dogs and they are preys, but not primary ones. Leopards' natural prey are deer, sambar, monkey.

On the subject of Tree Authority, I do not wish to comment as the matter is sub-judice.

To those who say that the area includes the Mithi River flood plain, I'd say that it doesn't. The flooding of Mumbai has nothing to do with Aarey. The 2005 floods had nothing to do with Aarey. In addition, the MCGM commission shows that there are three drains which carry water from the nearby area. These drains pass through this piece of land and we were asked to channelise this. And the level of these drains is certainly not below that of the Mithi River. This area through which these drains pass is the catchment area.

Metro and pollution have a reverse relationship. We have done the calculation on a 10-year average basis. The network will take 4.3 lakh vehicles off the roads every day. Also, 2.43 lakh litre of fuel will not burn.

Also, we are not taking 60-hectare land, but only a 30-hectare land, which includes the depot, the main-line, and the station. Out of the 30 hectares, five hectares will be saved. So effectively it is 25 hectares.

And to compensate, we have planted over 24,000 trees and over 25,000 saplings have been distributed to citizens. Some of them might have survived somewhere. In addition, 3,000 trees are being grown in nurseries outside Mumbai.

We are being asked why not improve the main line? Of course, it needs improvement. But, you also need to do other things such as lay a fourth-line, fifth-line, and sixth-line. If the depot is important for the system and if it cannot go anywhere else, as decided by the Supreme Court, why oppose? What should the MMRC do?

On the other hand, we have calculated the loss due to delay, as this project costs Rs 23,000 crore, so the cost of even a day's delay would naturally be huge. Each day of delay would lead to a loss of Rs 4.23 crore. To give you a break-up, Rs 50 lakh would be operation loss and Rs 3.8 crore would be losses due to contracts and escalations. Our rolling stock has been designed and is going into manufacturing. In November 2020, the stock needs the depot. If the depot gets delayed, the entire system will be delayed. So when people say that there are not opposing the network, but the depot, by opposing the depot itself, they are opposing the network.

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