Save Aarey: CM's experts want Metro yard to be shifted from Aarey to Kanjurmarg

In a major victory for activists fighting to save Aarey Milk Colony from the controversial Metro III the expert committee mdash appointed by the Chief Minister to review the project mdash has recommended that the Metro car depot be built not in Aarey but at Kanjurmarg instead This will also have the added advantage of connecting western and eastern Metro corridors While the final report is yet to be submitted to the CM one of the members on the panel confirmed this development to middayThe Metro III project attracted considerable controversy after it was proposed that the car depot would be built in Aarey Colony displacing 2298 trees and threatening the rich local biodiversity there midday has run a sustained campaign on this issue following which many NGOs and political parties also came forward to form pressure groupsAlso read No wildlife at Aarey site Did MMRC lie to get Rs 5000 cr loan for MetroThen in March CM Devendra Fadnavis formed the expert panel led by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA chief UPS Madan to study the project and suggest alternative locations for the car shed lsquoFind other sites for Metro car depot CM tells expertsrsquo midday March 3Activists said the likely location identified in Kanjurmarg is sized about 50 acres and is situated by the Eastern Express highway and at the end of JVLRWhen asked Fadnavis said no final decision has been taken as yet Sources said the committeersquos report would be submitted to him next week Sources said the government and the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation MMRC would have to factor in the additional cost for building an extension of the ColabaBandraSeepz corridor to KanjurmargAlso read Find other sites for Mumbai Metro car depot CM tells expertsThe 335km corridor is already set to be one of the cityrsquos costliest infrastructure projects at Rs 23136 crore The extension to Kanjurmarg is likely to add 912 km to the project and with the cost per kilometre working out to be Rs 6906 crore for the entire project the extra financial burden will be whopping said sourcesGreater goodThis move will not only protect the Aarey greens but will also serve to connect the western and eastern Metro corridors for commutersrsquo benefit While car depot can be connected to Seepz via an elevated stretch on Metro III it can also serve the WadalaGhatkoparThaneKasarvadavali corridor Metro IV and so offer better connectivity to commuters from Powai and other areasWhen the cityrsquos green activists were called in for hearing by the committee in June Kanjurmarg was one of the alternative locations suggested by them amongst other options such as barren land in BandraKurla Complex land next to the JogeshwariVikhroli Link Road and controlled reclamation in Cuffe ParadeAlso read Activists gather proof of wildlife at Mumbai Metro III siteThey had objected to plans to axe 2298 trees in Aarey some of which are rare trees such as Baobabs aged over 100 years Environmentalists were also concerned about the threat to protected species that find shelter in the woodland and grassland at the proposed Metro site in Aarey including leopards Indian rock pythons and more The green activists also opposed the MMRCrsquos plan to transplant trees to make up for this loss and said that the survival rate for transplanted trees was poor The MMRC had promised that 10 times the number of trees to be cut would be planted in Aarey and looked after in case the car shed came up thereldquoWe expect the government to soon make an official announcement that the car depot is being shifted to Kanjurmarg from Aarey The location at Kanjurmarg on either side of JVLR is the best place for it There the car depot will not cause any damage to environment and the extension of Metro line will boost eastwest connectivity Most welcome decisionrdquo said activist Stalin Dayanand from the NGO Vanashakti who has long been associated with the Save Aarey movementActivistspeakAnand Pendharkar Environmentalist NGO SPROUTSWe want the government to come out with a notification only after this we will trust that the car depot is really being shifted Shifting the depot to Kanjurmarg will help protect the rich biodiversity of Aarey Aarey acts as a buffer zone to Sanjay Gandhi National Park so there is also a wildlife corridor from there to the national park This move will also help prevent humanleopard conflictManish Gadia Wildlife photographer and Save Aarey activistWe are relieved that the government realised the importance of retaining green zones in the city Metro yard and other projects would have lead to irreparable damage to the valuable green zone and we hope that the government reviews other projects too that might affect AareyAlso read Study finds evidence of robust leopard activity in SGNP AareyStalin Dayanand NGO VanashaktiWe are thankful to the government for respecting the wishes of the people Itrsquos a victory for the environment and for all citizens NGOs who stood together and fought this battle Unnecessary damage to the environment has been avoidedmdash Inputs by Ranjeet Jadhav