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Mumbai Metro: No end to Maharashtra govt-BJP war of words over Kanjurmarg plot
Maharashtra minister Eknath Shinde said the previous BJP-led state government had given permission for a housing project on the Kanjurmarg plot
The Maharashtra government on Wednesday slammed the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over their opposition to construct the car shed for three metro lines at the Kanjurmarg plot proposed by the state.
Urban development minister Eknath Shinde said the state has documents to prove that the land is owned by the Maharashtra government, but it is because of the Centre that the Bombay high court (HC) has imposed a stay on the construction of the car shed on the plot. He added the state is exploring various options for the car shed. Shinde also said the previous BJP-led state government had given permission for a housing project on the Kanjurmarg plot.
“Politics is being played over the Kanjurmarg plot. Going by the land records, the plot is a state property. If they [BJP] were okay with a housing project on the plot, why do they not want it to be used for the Metro project,” Shinde said during a press conference on Wednesday.
Sena’s ally Congress also questioned the intention of the Devendra Fadnavis government over its decision to explore the possibility of launching an affordable housing scheme proposed by a developer on the plot. “What made the Fadnavis regime to accept the proposal of the developer for building one lakh affordable houses under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s (PM) flagship scheme ‘Housing for All 2022’ on the same plot? The state had also appointed a high-level committee of bureaucrats headed by the then additional chief secretary of finance on June 11, 2019, for the project,” said Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant.
The Congress also said that one of the petitioners who moved HC against the constriction of the car shed at Kanjurmarg plot claiming to be the land’s lessee, had signed an agreement with the developer. He also claimed that the petitioner was supposed to get a benefit of hundreds of crores of rupees from the deal of agreement of development of the Kanjurmarg plot in 2009 with the developer. However, the petitioner had claimed that the agreement was later scrapped by the city civil court in 2016.
Meanwhile, BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye said his party has always taken a congruous stand on developmental issues and if the state government make the findings of the report of the committee headed by additional chief secretary Manoj Saunik on shifting the car shed to Kanjurmarg public, then the truth will come out before everyone. “It is the state government that has made it an ego and prestige issue. Our only demand is to make findings of the Saunik committee public. Everyone will come to know what is going on,” Upadhye said.
Replying to the Sawant’s allegations, he said, “The agreement between the developer and the petitioner was signed in 2009 when the Congress-NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) government was in power. The BJP government only tried to find out the feasibility of the proposal for PM’s flagship scheme. Moreover, the committee was formed to see if the state government can use all the saltpan lands for affordable housing schemes as discussed in the western regional council meeting as well in a meeting chaired by PM.”
Meanwhile, Shinde said the decision to shift the car shed to Kanjurmarg was taken in the larger interest of the citizens. “Constructing a car shed for Metro lines 3, 4 and 6 would have benefited the people. But amid the ownership battle between the state and Centre, the HC has unfortunately put a stay on the construction of the car shed at Kanjurmarg. The construction work for the Metro project is in full speed and we are exploring other options for the car shed. A plot in BKC is one of them and a study has been undertaken is this regard. The Centre should have taken a congruous stand on the matter,” he said.
The state and the Centre have locked horns over the ownership of the Kanjurmarg plot. In October, the state government had decided to scrap the Metro car shed at Aarey Colony and shift it to Kanjurmarg. It also decided to integrate Metro-3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz), Metro-6 (Swami Samarth Nagar-Vikhroli) and Metro-4 (Wadala-Kasarwadavali) lines. However, HC granted a stay on the construction of the car shed, following the petitions filed by the Centre and the lessee.
