Former MP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya on Wednesday visited the car shed site for Mumbai Metro 3 at Aarey Milk Colony, where work has been stayed by the State government.
Mr. Somaiya said the foundation work for the car shed had been completed and the construction had started. “There’s no need to cut a single leaf to complete the remaining work. [This has already been] informed and committed by authorities to the court and the people, then why the sudden stay? I have also written to the government of Maharashtra and Mumbai Metro and asked for clarification,” he said.
Mr. Somaiya has written to Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta, Metropolitan Commissioner of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority R.A. Rajeev, Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation managing director Ashwini Bhide and the Union urban affairs secretary.
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In his letter, Mr. Somaiya questioned Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s decision to stay the work and its implications. He said the project had the support and commitments from the Union government and international agencies and a stay order would affect those organisations as well.
One of the first decisions taken by the new State Cabinet under Mr. Thackeray was to stay work on the car shed, a project that has triggered a massive citizens’ movement because of the trees removed for it.
According to Metro officials, the per day loss incurred due to stoppage of work is nearly ₹4 crore. The Metro 3 corridor is expected to cost ₹23,136 crore, of which the Japanese International Cooperation Agency will provide ₹13,325 crore as a loan.
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The government, however, has not stayed any other work on the Metro line, for which 70% tunnelling has been completed.