State govt could save ₹10K crore with integrated car shed at Kanjur: Aaditya

Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for opposing the construction of a metro car shed in Mumbai, saying it cost Maharashtra ₹10,000 crore. Thackeray claimed that the BJP's opposition was politically motivated and that the state government's decision to build the car shed vindicated their original plan for an integrated depot for four metro lines. He also alleged irregularities in road concretization and accused certain contractors of benefiting from a scam.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday said the state government’s decision to build a car shed for metro 6 at Kanjur had vindicated the stand taken by the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to set up an integrated depot for four metro lines at the same location, and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposed it only for political reasons.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray at a press conference on Friday.

“Why are they (BJP) anti-Maharashtra and anti-Mumbai? Their politics cost Maharashtra ₹10,000 crore,” the Worli MLA said at a press conference, two days after HT reported that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had floated tenders for the ₹506-crore metro 6 car shed.

The four lines which Aaditya was referring to are metro 3 (Colaba to Seepz in Andheri), metro 6 (Swami Samarth Nagar in Andheri to Vikhroli), metro 4 (Wadala to Kasaravadavali in Thane) and metro 14 (Kanjurmarg to Ambernath-Badlapur).

“When the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government shifted metro 3 car shed from Aarey Milk Colony to Kanjur in Kanjurmarg, the opposition BJP criticised the decision. Then Thackeray proposed an integrated car shed at Kanjur for four metro lines to save ₹10,000 core which could have come from taxpayers. However, the Central government claimed that it owned the land, and took the matter to the Bombay high court. It was a systematic attempt to scuttle the project,” Aaditya said.

After toppling the MVA government, the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government is constructing a car shed at the same location, he said.

The 14.477-km elevated metro 6 line will pass over Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road and the Powai lake with 13 stations.

Stepping up the attack, Aadtiya claimed that the government is now planning to construct two different car sheds for metro 4 and 14 in Thane to receive kickbacks from contractors. “Even now the state can build an integrated car shed for three lines - metro 4, 6 and 14 - at Kanjurmarg. This will save taxpayers’ money.”

Refuting the allegations, BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said Aaditya needed to get his facts straight.

“A car shed at Aarey was announced by MMRDA much before the BJP-Shiv Sena government came to power in 2014. Secondly, a car shed for metro 6 had also been planned at Kanjurmarg. Most importantly, the plot used for the metro 6 car shed belonged to the state government. But the extra land required for an integrated car shed was under dispute. So, it’s clear that Aaditya has no knowledge of the subject,” Bhatkhalkar said.

At the press conference, Aaditya also pointed to the alleged irregularities in concretisation of roads in the city.

“I am raising my voice against the scam and how five contractors benefited from it. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had served a notice to one of the beneficiary contractors for not starting work. Now either the matter will be settled after a meeting among certain people, or the contractor will be blacklisted,” he said and added that those who do settlements are sitting in the chief minister’s office and not in Matoshree (residence of Thackeray family).