Car shed at Aarey? Chief minister orders Metro-III work to begin in May

MUMBAI: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Friday, asked the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) to begin civil work for the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz underground Metro-III corridor in May, indicating that the car depot will come up in Aarey Colony. Senior officials, who attended the war room where Fadnavis reviewed all pending infrastructure projects, said that the state government has made up its mind to allot 30 hectares of land inside Aarey Colony for the construction of the Metro depot and a final sanction will be given soon.
They added that the Urban Development Department will soon send a formal proposal to Fadnavis for his nod. “After deliberation, it has been finalized to have the depot at Aarey, as it is the most feasible option. As the number of trees to be hacked has been reduced and changing the location now would escalate the project cost, we have been decided to have the depot at Aarey,” said a senior official.
Ashwini Bhide, MMRC managing director, said, “We will soon finalize the bidder so that the work can begin in May.” MMRC plans to complete the project by 2020.
The Metro-III corridor is estimated to cost Rs 23,136 crore, including Rs 10,500 crore on civil work and stations. The civil cost is, however, expected to increase by around Rs 5,000 crore, if the work is awarded according to the final design. At the time of floating bids for the civil work, the MMRC had not fixed the estimated costs to ensure fairness in the bidding process. As the MMRC had set a deadline to appoint the civil works contractor in October 2015, the cost escalation forced the authorities to explore other options, such as reducing the scope of civil works and negotiating with the bidders. The MMRC plans to make changes in the project design, such as reducing the length of platforms and eliminating additional entry/exits at a few stations, to cut cost.
“A few issues with the rehabilitation of the Metro-III project-affected persons were also addressed in Friday’s meeting and sanctions to allot accommodation have been given,” said another senior official.
During the meeting, Fadnavis also ordered that the process of awarding the contract for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link and signing the loan agreement be done at the earliest so that work can start before October.