Mumbai 30 August : In the midst of launching the trials for Mumbai’s first underground Metro-3 line, the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis slammed the then-in-exile Maha Vikas Aghadi government, accusing it of causing inconsistencies in the building of the Colaba-Bandra SEEPZ corridor.Fadnavis without naming the former CM Uddhav Thackeray, claimed that resistance to Mumbai Metro-3 was more due to political reasons than love of the environment, which has delayed the project.
But, now CM Shinde has taken the initiative to revive the stalled project, which will provide a fresh source of hope for Mumbaikars, Fadnavis added.
In reference to the dispute over the Metro car-shed that was moved from the Aarey Colony and moved to Kanjurmarg in the Aarey Colony by the MVA and then overturned by Shinde on June 30.Fadnavis said this move was in the public interest and not impacting the environment.
Shinde said that no one can stop the development of Maharashtra or Mumbai Metro and the first phase is scheduled to start operating by the end of December 2023.
Later, it will be fully operational in the second phase in June 2024.
In a major breakthrough, Shinde and Fadnavis flagged off the test runs on Mumbai’s first subterranean Mumbai Metro 3 line amid large celebrations and demonstrations from an uninvolved group of protesters.
Shinde, Fadnavis and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) officials have lowered the green flag for the trial run from Sariputnagar in Aarey Colony to Marol Naka Station, with an interim car-shed and 3 km tunnel along the route.
The construction work on the 33.50 km Metro 3 corridor started in 2016 and the first stage is expected to be finished by the end of 2023.It will connect Colaba in the south of Mumbai and SEEPZ in north-west through Bandra, with 26 underground stations and one on the ground.
MMRCL officials have informed the public that the tests of the Metro Rakes over the next three-six months will include a variety of parameters such as speed emergency brakes the rakes’ efficiency, air compressor systems, automatic door testing, and ventilation and oscillation in the tunnel, which is the first time for Mumbai.
According to the original plans the line was planned to be completed in December 2021, but it was delayed because of the car-shed row being located inside the Aarey Colony.
In addition, the MVA government had rejected the plan in November 2019 to move the car-shed to an alternative location in Kanjurmarg.
Since having been elected to power just two months ago, the Shinde Fadnavis government increased the MVA’s moves and restored the car-shed’s site starting from Kanjurmarg returning to Aarey Forest, leading to protests by the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress as well environmentalists.
The delays have resulted in an increase in costs from initial estimates of Rs 23,000 crore , to approximately Rs 37,000 crore.the entire project with an area that runs beneath the Mahim Creek and Mithi River is scheduled to be completed in mid-2025.
The current state of the project is close to 99 percent of the tunnel excavation work is complete, resulting in an overall project completion of about 70 percent.
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