The Bombay High Court on Thursday told the Union and State governments to forget past conflicts and make a new beginning on the Metro 3 line project.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G.S. Kulkarni said the Centre and the State should resolve their differences outside court and decide whether or not the Metro car shed should be shifted from Kanjurmarg to Aarey Colony, some portions of the latter being declared a forest area.
The Union government wants to go ahead with the project at Aarey Colony, as decided by the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Maharashtra. However, the current Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ruling alliance wants to shift the car shed from Aarey Colony to Kanjurmarg and save thousands of trees.
In March 2021, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) told the court that the Kanjurmarg plot was better suited than Aarey Colony as the land admeasures 102 acres from survey no. 275 of the Kanjur village, which is required for constructing the car shed for metro lines 3,4 and 6, and also an interchange station for the proposed line 14.
On Thursday, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh had said the project had been given to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which had stated that the plot at Kanjurmarg would have technical issues in future. Thus, the move to Kanjurmarg had been stayed, he said.
“We know what is happening,” the court interrupted. “We are all here to serve the public. Why bring personal differences in the court? Why don’t the Centre and State resolve your issues outside this court?”
“We are doing this in the larger public interest for the citizens of Mumbai in the long run... We are consulting experts in the field, who have also recommended shifting the project back to Aarey Colony,” Mr. Singh said.
Mr. Singh relied on a letter by the Under Secretary and requested the Chief Secretary to reconsider the State's decision to construct the project at Kanjurmarg.
The Bench adjourned the matter to June 10. "All that we can say is, end this stalemate now. Try to forget the past opinion and start with a new beginning. If there is no solution by next week, then we will proceed to decide the matter on merits," the Bench concluded.
