Shiv Sena smells 'conspiracy' in Metro car shed land issue

Mumbai: With the Centre laying claim to the site in Mumbai where a Metro car shed has been planned, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday alleged that it was a conspiracy to halt Maharashtra’s development, which should be resisted collectively.

He asserted that the land belonged to the state and the car shed will come up at Kanjurmarg only.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had last month announced the scrapping of the Metro car shed at Aarey in suburban Goregaon, a green belt, which was chosen by the erstwhile BJP-led government for the train parking project.

Thackeray had said the project will now be shifted to a government land in Kanjurmarg and no additional cost will be incurred for the purpose.

However, the Centre has written to the Maharashtra chief secretary, saying the proposed Metro-3 car shed land in suburban Kanjurmarg belongs to it.

Taking to Twitter over it, Raut said, ‘Who wrote Delhi’s name in Maharashtra’s land records? Every inch of Mumbai’s land belongs to the state. The carshed will be constructed in Kanjurmarg only. Let’s unitedly thwart conspiracy to halt the state’s development.’ As per the letter to the state chief secretary, the 102 acre land at Kanjurmarg comes under the Salt Commissioner, who reports to the central government’s department for promotion of industry and internal trade.

However, state Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray has said the Kanjurmarg land alloted by the collector to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the car depot has always been with the state government as per the revenue records.

‘The Mumbai suburban collector has done due diligence of all land records and all sub judice matters in all competent courts. MMRDA will carry on with its work for the car depots at Kanjurmarg as decided earlier,’ he tweeted on Tuesday.

The letter dated October 15 says the union of India through the deputy salt commissioner had filed a writ petition against the state government’s order of November 1 2018, declaring several salt pan lands in the name of the state government and private parties.

The writ petition was filed on September 22, 2020.

The matter is sub-judice and the collector of Mumbai suburban district transferred the land for the Metro car shed without taking approval of the Centre, the letter said.

The decision to hand over the land for Metro car shed was improper and unilateral, it said.

The letter from department for promotion of industry and internal trade, which comes under the ministry of commerce and industry, asked chief secretary Sanjay Kumar to take necessary steps and restrain MMRDA from taking further measures and direct the collector to withdraw orders passed in this regard to protect the interests of the Government of India.