Maharashtra reserves Kanjurmarg land for Metro car depot in DP 2034

Even as the Bombay High Court (HC) is yet to decide whether the saltpan land in Kanjurmarg, where the Metro depot has been proposed, belongs to the Centre or state, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday issued a notification to modify the reservation of the 43

Even as the Bombay High Court (HC) is yet to decide whether the saltpan land in Kanjurmarg, where the Metro depot has been proposed, belongs to the Centre or state, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday issued a notification to modify the reservation of the 43.76-hectare plot in the Development Plan (DP) 2034. According to the notification, the use of the land parcel, which was reserved for public purposes such as affordable housing, garden, and municipal school, has now been modified to ‘Metro car depot, casting yard and other metro uses’ with certain conditions.

HT Image

While chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in October 2020 had announced that the depot for Metro-3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz) will be shifted from the controversial Aarey plot to Kanjurmarg, the Central government claimed ownership of the plot. In December 2020, the Bombay high court stayed the transfer of the land parcel to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). Recently, the MMRDA also moved the court seeking to vacate or modify the stay, stating it is a “public project of urgency”.

In a text reply to HT, Bhushan Gagrani, principal secretary, urban development department, said the notification is not in contradiction to the on-going case as the “title is separate from reservation.” He also said the state had conducted a hearing for the change in reservation, post which the final notification was issued on Wednesday. The notification read: “...the Govt. is satisfied that in the public interest it is expedient to change reservations, land use in respect of the portion of the said land and Development Plan road pattern for proper connectivity in the nearby vicinity.”

The notification also states the change in reservation is subject to certain conditions which are obtaining permissions for the land that falls under coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) and undertaking mitigation measures during the construction and operations stage. It further states that it will be binding on the authority to comply with the orders of the HC and the apex court in respect of the land.

The state government is looking at building an integrated car depot at Kanjurmarg for line 3, 4 (Wadala-Thane-Kasarwadavali) and line 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar-Vikhroli). It has earlier stated that building an integrated depot will help save cost as well as land. Thackeray had also said that the land in Aarey would prove to be insufficient for Metro-3 in the coming years, making Kajurmarg the only viable option.