Green zone in Thane may be deleted for Metro 4 car depot
A notification issued on March 20 proposes to change the use of the 176-hectare (435 acres) plot from a green zone, which prohibits construction, to a metro car depot. Surplus land will be used by the Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority (MMRDA) for residential/commercial purposes.
The UDD has sought the mandatory suggestions and objections from the public, after which a final notification will be issued.
Located near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and the arterial Ghodbunder Road in Thane, the land in question is owned by the state but has traditionally been used for cultivation by 167 lessees. The government is still working on a compensation package that is amenable to the lessees.
The car shed in question was to be built in Owale in Thane but was shifted to Mogharpada in the wake of the massive protests that erupted when the Metro 3 yard was built in the Aarey forest a few years ago. Since a large number of trees would have had to be axed in Owale, and only a few in Mogharpada, the site was moved.
Work on Metro 4 began without a car depot site. The line was to be operational in 2024 but the new deadline is 2026. Line 4 will provide interconnectivity with the Eastern Express Highway, Central Railway, Mono Rail, ongoing Metro Line 2B (D N Nagar to Mandale), and the proposed Line 5 (Thane to Kalyan), Line 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar to Vikhroli) and Line 8 (Wadala to General Post Office).
In the north, Metro 4 will be extended from Kasarvadavli to Gaimukh and will be called Line 4A. In the south, it will be extended from Wadala to General Post Office in South Mumbai, and will be called Metro 11. The Mogharpada car shed will service all these metro lines.
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