A Metro-3 is one of the most crucial urban infrastructure projects in India. Once fully operational, Metro-3 will cater to 17 lakh passengers daily with an unfailing frequency of four minutes. In addition to connecting areas that are not connected to suburban railways, it will link six major business and employment centres Nariman Point, Cuffe Parade, Fort, Lower Parel, BKC and SEEPZ/ MIDC. Also, it will give easy access to more than 30 educational institutes, 13 hospitals, 14 religious places and more than 30 recreational facilities along with access to both domestic and international terminals of the airport. It will also provide seamless integration with other metro routes, suburban rail, monorail and bus services.
This environment-friendly mode of transit will also help in reducing fuel consumption, carbon emission and traffic congestion. When Metro-3 is up and running, the corridor will reduce 2.61 lakh tonne of CO2 emissions per annum.
Q Environmentalists had raised concerns over this project, especially the car depot in Aarey. How did you address those?
A By being very transparent about it. We did not hide a single piece of information. We knew the environmentalists were sometimes extreme in their views. Nevertheless, we went through every objection they raised, and tried to test all our actions against those. Where there were shortcomings, we complied with them. No other government organisation has been under such scrutiny.
[The environmentalists] had also approached various regulatory authorities and courts. The High Court has appointed a committee under a district judge-level officer; activists are also part of that committee. For the past seven years, the committee has been monitoring each and every action of ours, which was taken in favour of greening.
Q Could you share details about the coastal road?
This story is from the March 03, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
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This story is from the March 03, 2024 edition of THE WEEK India.
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