MMRCL wants to make a documentary on controversy-hit Mumbai Metro-3 line

MMRCL invites entries; documentary to talk about challenges the project, which will connect south Mumbai to the western suburbs, is facing

Knee-deep in controversy, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) now wants to make a documentary film on the construction of the Metro-3 line (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz).

Since the start of the project, the MMRCL has faced flak for issues such as cutting down trees and potentially damaging old, heritage buildings in the city. (HT File)

On Wednesday, the authority called for expression of interests (EOI), inviting applicants to undertake the three-year-long project.

The Metro-3 is a fully underground line connecting south Mumbai to the city’s western suburbs.

The 33.5-km-long line will have 27 stations and is expected to be operational by 2021.

Since its inception, the MMRCL has faced flak for felling trees in South Mumbai, for causing stress to old, heritage buildings such as the JN Petit Institute and Siddharth College in Fort and for its proposal to construct a 33-hectare Metro car-shed in Aarey colony by chopping 3,130 trees. Activists have demanded that the car shed be shifted to Kanjurmarg.

Green activists have also contested MMRCL officials’ claim that they have transplanted these trees earlier.

In the scope of work to be filmed for the documentary project, MMRCL has also listed aspects such as tree transplantation and the challenges of constructing structures in narrow streets with heritage buildings. Officials said these are expected the “thematic centre of the documentary.”

“We want to showcase the engineering aspects involved in the construction. Generally, any big infrastructure project is documented with video-graphic elements,” said a senior MMRCL official, who did not wish to be identified.

The official, however, said that the project cost will be clear only once they receive applications.