RTI reveals MMRDA skipped environmental assessment for Metro 9 depot that will wipe out entire forest patch in Bhayandar; Mumbai-based activist Godfrey Pimenta had filed the RTI seeking a copy of the EIA report for the extended portion of Metro Line 9, particularly for the new train maintenance depot in Dongri, Thane district
A section near the Kashigaon station on Metro Line 9 at Mira Road East. File pic/SATEJ SHINDE
As thousands of trees face the axe for the construction of the Metro Line 9 car depot at Dongri village in Bhayandar West, a Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) did not conduct any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project. The new site is a shift from the original depot location at Rai village.
Mumbai-based activist Godfrey Pimenta had filed the RTI seeking a copy of the EIA report for the extended portion of Metro Line 9, particularly for the new train maintenance depot in Dongri, Thane district. The response from MMRDA was a single-word reply: “NO.”
Agencies can’t bypass
Speaking to mid-day, Pimenta said, “While Metro and railway infrastructure projects may be exempt from formal environmental clearance under current laws, that doesn’t mean agencies like MMRDA should bypass conducting an EIA study. An EIA is still crucial for understanding and mitigating environmental impact.”
Test-run was conducted on Metro Line 9 at the Kashigaon Metro Station in Mira Road East. File pic/SATEJ SHINDE
He pointed out that the MMRDA had earlier commissioned a full EIA study in 2017, through the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, for Metro Line 7, which extends to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Stadium. “That assessment considered air and water quality, noise, biodiversity, and land use, exactly the kind of study that should’ve been done for Dongri as well,” said Pimenta.
Sources in the state government told mid-day that Metro rail projects are generally not covered under the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006. But environmentalists argue that this policy urgently needs reform.
Environmentalist Stalin D from NGO Vanashakti called the situation “preposterous.” “There was already sufficient flat, barren land earmarked for the car depot, land that had no trees and was suitable for public infrastructure. The government chose to abandon that site, allowing it to fall into the hands of private developers. Instead, they moved the project into a dense forest patch on top of a mountain, home to natural streams,” he said.
According to Stalin, nearly 12,000 trees, including 900 mango trees, are now set to be cut down. “While there was a massive uproar over the felling of 4000 trees in Aarey, this destruction has barely made the news,” he said.
Stalin added that the government appears to have prioritised tree-cutting even before securing essential Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and environmental clearances. “This shows a disturbing pattern: give prime land to builders and push public projects into forests. It’s sacrilege to flatten mountains and destroy biodiversity when low-impact alternatives were available,” he said.
About Metro Line 9
Metro Line 9 is an extension of Line 7, connecting Andheri to CSIA and Dahisar to Mira-Bhayandar. The line will stretch 13.58 km — 11.39 km elevated and 2.19 km underground — with 10 stations. Once operational, it will connect with the Western Express Highway, the Western Railway, Metro Line 2A (Dahisar–DN Nagar), and Metro Line 7 (Andheri–Dahisar). MMRDA claims the route will cut travel times by 50–75 per cent.
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