'People of Mumbai will have to suffer': BJP blames MVA govt over latest Metro car shed row

After the Centre ordered to stop the work of the Mumbai Metro 3 car shed at Kanjurmarg, BJP MLA Ashish Shelar on Tuesday hit out at the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra. In a letter addressed to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar, the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade claimed that the land allocated for the car shed in Kanjurmarg belongs to the Union government. The DPIIT requested Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sanjay Kumar to restrain the MMRDA from developing the car shed at the Kanjurmarg plot.

Shelar lamented that the state government had not sought the permission of the Salt Commissioner. Moreover, he contended that the people of Mumbai were suffering due to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray's "arrogant" style of functioning. The BJP leader also slammed the Maharashtra government for delaying every project and misleading people in this regard. 

BJP MLA Ashish Shelar said, "When you decided to shift the car shed to Kanjurmarg, we said that your motive is not clear. Have you taken the permission of the Salt Commissioner? Perhaps you need to check the legal status again. We had said that the people of Mumbai will not be benefited from the style of functioning of 'arrogant king'. The people of Mumbai will have to suffer owing to the decision taken due to the arrogant style of functioning. The style of functioning of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government can be described as delaying every project. They also try to mislead people."

Read: Fadnavis Laments The Aarey Metro Car Shed Shift, Says 'Rs 1300 Crores Down The Drain'

Read: Maha CM Uddhav Thackeray Orders Withdrawal Of Police Charges Against Aarey Protesters

Metro car shed row

There has been a long dispute about the location of the Metro car shed. According to environmental activists, Aarey is a forest area and any construction work would hamper the ecological balance. On the other hand, the Devendra Fadnavis regime highlighted that the long-term gains of the project would offshoot the temporary damage caused due to the felling of trees.  

While Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray asserted that a single leaf of Aarey would not be cut, a report submitted by a 4-member panel constituted by the MVA government in January 2020 recommended that Aarey was the best possible site for the construction of the car shed as the other alternative places were not financially viable. On October 11, Thackeray announced that the car shed will be shifted to government land in Kanjurmarg and no cost will be incurred for the purpose. He added that the building which has come up in Aarey forest shall be utilised for some other public purpose.

Read: Maharashtra Govt Reserves 600 Acres Of Mumbai's Aarey Land As Forest; 'first In Any Metro'