War of words over first Metro line construction

The announcement by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar that the Mumbai Metro will be completed by November has sent the state government officials in a tizzy.

The announcement by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar that the Mumbai Metro will be completed by November has sent the state government officials in a tizzy.

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A panic-stricken Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority has claimed that it has handed over the entire right of way for building the first Metro line to Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL).

The first Metro line will connect Versova, Andheri and Ghatkopar.

MMOPL, which is building the city's first Metro line, has denied that it has received the entire Right of Way and has claimed that it is yet to get a 200-m stretch of land at Asalfa.

Right of Way is an area cleared of encroachments given by the state government to a concessionaire to carry out infrastructure work.

Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the state finance minister, in his budget speech had announced that the Metro would be completed by November.

The MMRDA then held a review meeting on Wednesday along with the principal secretary of the urban development department TC Benjamin on the status of work. The agency gave a statement calling for expediting implementation of work by MMOPL and claimed that it had handed over all the required Right of Way for the project to MMOPL.

"We have completed our tasks and handed over the entire Right of Way to MMOPL. We are expecting that the set timelines would be met without any hurdles," said metropolitan commissioner Rahul Asthana said.

MMOPL sources claim that about 200 m of land at Asalpha is still to be cleared and handed over to the agency. “It is factually incorrect on the part of the MMRDA to claim that the entire Right of Way has been handed over. We have still not got the 200-m stretch at Asalpha from the MMRDA," said MMOPL sources.