Days after Relocation of Aarey Project, Aaditya Says Soil Testing for Metro Car Sheds Begins in Kanjurmarg

Soil testing work at the Kanjurmarg plot in Mumbai for setting up metro car depots has begun, Maharashtra environment minister Aaditya Thackeray said on Wednesday, three days after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray announced relocation of a metro car shed from Aarey Colony. Aaditya Thackeray also tweeted that the Kanjurmarg plot has been handed over to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the car depot project.

"This morning, officials of CMO, MMRDA, MMRCL visited the Kanjurmarg plot handed over to MMRDA for the car depot.Metro line 3 & 6 car depots will be made here and increase connectivity with the revised plan. Soil testing has begun already. I joined them to see the plot," tweeted Aaditya Thackeray, guardian minister for Mumbai suburbs.

He also informed that a notification of section 4 of the Indian Forest Act for 808.531 acre forest in Aarey Colony, a prominent green lung in the city limits, has been issued. "I wholeheartedly thank CM Uddhav Thackeray ji, DCM Ajit Pawar ji, RM Balasaheb Thorat ji, Dairy Min Sunil Kedar ji and Forest Min Sanjay Rathod ji," Aaditya Thackeray said in another tweet.

Announcing relocation of metro 3 car shed on Sunday, CM Thackeray had said the Kanjurmarg land will be available at zero rate for the project. Thackeray had said the government had earlier declared 600 acre of Aarey land as forest but now it has been revised to 800 acres.

"I don't recall any other city at par with Mumbai's size and commercial importance, giving this status to such a huge land area in its city limits. Truly historic," Aaditya Thackeray tweeted. Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has reiterated his concerns over the financial feasibility of the metro car shed projects which will come up in Kanjurmarg.

"76 per cent tunnelling work for the project (in Aarey Colony) is already done but no car depot for the next four to five yearswill be endgame for financial feasibility of the project. Needless to say that all cost escalations will be recovered from pockets of people through tickets," he tweeted. The proposed Metro 3 route is from Colaba in south Mumbai to Seepz via suburban Bandra while the Line 6 will connect suburban Vikhroli with Lokhandwala.

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