Mumbai: Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (MMRCL) officials said on Thursday that the Metro 3 project would reduce carbon dioxide emissions on a larger scale in the long run than the reduction in emissions due to the cutting of trees for the project.
Speaking to the press, Subodh Gupta, Director (Projects), MMRCL said a survey conducted by them indicated that the 2,800 trees that are affected by the Metro 3 project reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 61 metric tonnes annually, while the Metro 3 would reduce emissions by 9907 metric tonnes every year.
“The Metro 3 will also save 2.43 lakh litres of petrol by 2021, saving the city almost Rs 2 crores a day in fuel cost, and one hour of an individual’s transit time. We will also reduce the crowd on the mainland railways by 25 per cent.” said Mr. Gupta.
He added, “Why should we allow a 40 or 50 people to hold this project hostage? Protests have been organised but there is no support for them. Residents of Girgaum and Kalbadevi who had previously protested the construction of Metro 3 have since been consulted and compensated for their displacement.”
In all, seventeen Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) will be used for Metro 3, the first of them being lowered in October in Naya Nagar.
