'Why was the previous Maharashtra govt lying about Kanjurmarg?'

The announcement by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray about shifting the Metro3 carshed from Aarey Milk Colony to Kanjurmarg has once again raised serious questions about the previous state government While the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited MMRCL has allegedly been claiming that there were technical issues in shifting the car depot to Kanjurmarg from Aarey did the previous government have no intention to shift it Citizens groups and environmentalists had even felt it was lyingSources from the current state government have said that 102 acres of government land were handed over to MMRDA last week and the car depot for metro line 6 and 3 will be constructed on a plot close to the Eastern Express Highway near KanjurmargAlso read Mumbai Aaditya Thackeray Joins Aarey BattleA government official said As per the new plan the Metro line 3 will come out of the tunnel after SEEPZ at Aarey and then move on to the ramp through a few pillars in Aarey and then merge on to the east bound direction of metro line 6 and proceed to KanjurmargEnvironmentalist Stalin D at the Metro 3 site at where soil testing has begunCitybased green activists had claimed that the car depot of Swami Samarth Nagar Lokhandwala metro line 6 was planned on the same plot in Kanjurmarg but when they had asked the previous state government to also use it for Metro 3 depot it came up with excusesWhy was previous govt lyingAfter a huge protest and opposition from environmentalists and nature lovers in 2015 then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had appointed a technical committee to suggest alternative locations The committee examined several options including Backbay Reclamation Mahalaxmi racecourse Mumbai Port Trust a university plot in Kalina Bandra Kurla Complex Dharavi and even KanjurmargAlso readAarey saved Metro carshed moved to KanjurmargHowever MMRCL and Fadnavis had then said that taking metro line 3 car depot to Kanjurmarg would increase the project cost by R 1500 crore as the marshy land at Kanjurmarg would have to be first strengthenedWith Thackerays announcement that the car depot will shift on government owned land without incurring any additional cost the question that arises in peoples minds is why was the earlier government lyingEnvironmentalists gladEnvironmentalist Stalin D from NGO Vanashakti and who is also a member of the Aarey Conservation group said about the governments decision This is economically ecologically and logistically a wise decision A winwin formula that was being deliberately ignored by the previous government for reasons not difficult to understandGreen activist Zoru Bhathena said Citizens will reap the priceless benefit of better Metro connectivity The government will benefit from lifelong cost savings from merging depots Mumbaikars will forever benefit from the preservation of the Aarey Forest The only question that remains unanswered is why the previous government refused to act for the overall benefit of Mumbai when all these benefits were known in 2015 itselfEnvironmentalist Anand Pendharkar from NGO SPROUTS said This also goes to show that if managing politicians have the intention even badly designed infrastructure can be changed to safeguard local ecosystems This is how democracy survives and succeedsmiddays battle for Aareys environmentFor the past seven years midday has been highlighting the importance of saving the biodiversity in Aarey Milk Colony It has consistently reported about the wildlife sightings in Aarey Milk ColonyIn February 2015 it did a story No wildlife at Aarey site Did MMRC lie to get R5000 cr loan for Metro about how the Environment Impact Assessment EIA report of the project prepared by the authorities had claimed that constructing the Metro car depot in Aarey Colony will have no major ecological impact because there is no wildlife at the site On the basis of that report a year later JICA signed an agreement with the government for an Official Development Assistance ODA loan of R4700 crore or 71 billion yen for the construction of Metro line III ColabaBandraSeepz corridorOn January 10 2016 midday had done a story Hey MMRDA Aarey is a forest and it has leopards Heres proof stating a camera trapping exercise carried out by the Thane FD between December 2014 and 2015 had proven that not only is Aarey Colony home to nine leopards these big cats coexist in perfect peace with the local residents A unique mananimal harmony seen nowhere else in the worldKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news