MUMBAI: Fears persist over the widespread disruption the Metro-II elevated project could cause to the economic and social life of people residing in some of the most congested areas of the western suburbs. Citizens have launched online petitions, blogs and protest marches against the elevated Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd line, demanding that the authorities review the plan and build the metro under ground.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has appointed Reliance Infrastructure ( RInfra) to execute the Rs 8,250-crore project, which will have 27 stations along a 32-km route. However, some MMRDA and state government sources agreed that the project had the capacity to "finish" the suburbs. Residents and activists opposing the elevated line say a huge number of open spaces, hospitals, shops and residential buildings will be affected when land is taken for the construction of the stations. Experts said that on Linking Road in Khar (W) alone, around 70 residential buildings, the Lawrence High School, St Aloysious High School, Nilgiri Gardens, Madhu Park, Anand Nursing Home and Chandiramani Maternity Home will be affected.
Furthermore, traffic jams will increase due to the pillars that will be installed for the corridor. The 32-km route passes through the middle of arterial roads, like Link Road (Marve Road to Jay Prakash Road in Andheri), 10th Road in JVPD Scheme, S V Road at Vile Parle and Santa Cruz, and Linking Road at Santa Cruz, Khar and Bandra. A government source conceded, "An underground metro, despite costing phenomenally more, would allow us to plan and expand a network for the next 100 years. An elevated metro will result in large-scale dislocation." An MMRDA official added, "Constructing an elevated metro will be a nightmare. Financial institutions were ready to fund an underground line. However, the government decided on an elevated line because it would be two-and-a-half times cheaper than going underground."
But a state government official said, "The elevated metro is the best option. It is much cheaper and therefore in the public interest. An overhead line will also make the metro more accessible."
On the cost, Congress MLA from Vile Parle, Krishna Hegde, said tenders for the Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai metros were floated at around the same time. "Yet, there was a huge discrepancy in the rates quoted for Mumbai as compared to the other two cities," he said. Hegde said metro pillars in the middle of congested roads will cause traffic chaos. "At many places, traffic crawls right now because of the skywalks. It would be worse when the metro comes up," he said.
Recently, the JVPD Residents' Association prepared a report on the merits of an underground route. "There is a perception that an underground metro line would be costlier and more time consuming to build," said architect Nitin Killawala, who prepared the report. "That may be true theoretically, but in the context of Mumbai, an elevated line would be much more expensive and time consuming in terms of land acquisition, narrow arterial roads, ever-increasing vehicular traffic, complexity of utility lines and so on."
Interestingly, while MMRDA and state sources said the project is on track, there are still numerous clearances to be given. "A Bombay high court order states that the MMRDA cannot go ahead with the work unless it obtains all the requisite permissions before commencement," said Killawala. "Under the present circumstances, it is almost impossible to get these permissions from over a dozen authorities."
Killawala's report said, "Public interest unanimously demands an underground metro.... We believe that the underground metro (has been) rejected for an obvious reason, that it will give lesser profit to the concessionaire. Surely, this consideration should not be allowed to prevail over the larger interest of public safety, security and other advantages."
PROS & CONS
UNDERGROUND
* Open spaces, hospitals, shops and residential buildings would be unaffected, as there would be no land acquisitions and setbacks
* Traffic on arterial roads would not be obstructed by pillars
* Reservations for schools, markets, recreation grounds and playgrounds won't have to be deleted to make space for rail yards
* Schedule for work can be predetermined without obstacles like traffic, utilities, land acquisition etc. The tunnels would be at least 10 metres below existing roads
* Quicker construction without complexities and uncertainties would rein in cost
* Inter-agency coordination -- civil aviation, PWD, railways, MSEB, BEST, etc - for permissions would be minimal
* No environmental issues
ELEVATED
* Elevated line estimated to be about two-and-a-half-times cheaper to build
* In many ways, it could also be cheaper and easier to maintain
* Could be technically easier to complete
* Public would be able to access it easily
* Could be easier to provide security along the route and at stations
FIELDS OF OPPORTUNITY
Stations for an underground route could be built below six large public open spaces, argue suburbanites. According to a plan drawn up by architect Nitin Killawala for the JVPD Association, these spaces are Lokhandwala Gardens (Andheri), Kaifi Azmi Park (Juhu), Pushpa Narsee Park (JVPD), Podar Grounds (Santa Cruz), Patwardhan Garden (Bandra) and MMRDA Grounds (BKC). "These under-utilised gardens and parks can be converted to thriving public spaces. The MMRDA Grounds are already an established exhibition site, thus a station underneath would be important for the public," Killawala said.
