Mumbai: Metro-6 Construction To Gather Pace As State Initiates Handover Of 15 Hectares Land In Kanjurmarg For Metro Depot

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will be moving forward to acquire 15 hectares of land for the Metro Line-6 which will run between Swami Samarth Nagar-Jogeshwari-Vikhroli-Kanjurmarg.

The land is required to establish a depot facility for the under-construction metro route.

The state government has directed Mumbai’s Suburban Collector to hand over the Kanjurmarg plot for the depot construction, reports the Indian Express.

An official from the Collector's office said all formalities will be done this week.

Delays For The Construction Of Car Depot

According to a report by the Free Press Journal, the plot has been a subject of dispute for four years due to conflicting claims of land ownership by multiple government and private entities.

Additionally, the former state government had initially intended to construct an integrated car depot for three metro lines namely — Line-3, 4, and 6 — after facing resistance for the Metro-3 depot construction at Aarey Colony.

However, the Eknath Shinde-led government later reversed the decision and resumed the Metro-3 depot construction at Aarey Colony's original site.

While the dispute regarding the land ownership is being fought in the court, the state government has initiated the process to hand over a part of the larger plot to MMRDA.

“The state government has issued an order to give us 15 hectares. We are yet to receive possession, which we hope will happen soon. With this development, the execution of Metro 6 will gather pace,” said an MMRDA official.

The construction of metro depot will potentially ensure the completion of the corridor

The overall Metro Line-6 is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 6,700 crore, with a target to complete in next couple of years.

Earlier, the MMRDA officials shared that the corridor has reached 66 per cent completion.

The 15.31-km-long line will provide an important east- west connectivity stretch for the suburban commuters.

The link will be integrated with four other metro routes. This includes the already operational lines of Mumbai Metro – Line 2A and Line-7.  

Additionally, the network will be interconnected to the in-progress, fully underground Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro Line 3, and Line-4 connecting Wadala to Kasardavali.