11 May,2014 08:25 AM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
Rail India Technical and Economic Services, which was asked to conduct a survey of the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd line, gives nod for an underground line that can be extended up to Dahisar
Ex-president Pratibha Patil conducted the bhoomi pujan for the Charkop Bandra Mankhurd (CBM) metro line in 2008. Six years down the line, however, apart from the soil testing work, no further work has taken place.
The site at Charkop where the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest refused to give MMRDA the permission to construct the car depot. This site falls under CRZ zone. File pic
The delay was caused as Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) refused to give Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) the permission to construct the car depot in Charkop, as the site fell under Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and mangrove area.
But there is good news. The Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES), a government consultancy firm, which was asked to conduct a survey on the feasibility of conversion of elevated line into an underground line in September 2013, has suggested that the line can be made underground.
It can also be extended up to Dahisar. The report also mentions the possibility of constructing a car depot at either Borivli, Dahisar or Oshiwara. A senior MMRDA official, on condition of anonymity, said, "We have recently received the report, which suggests that an underground metro line can be extended up to Dahisar. It is great news that an underground system is feasible. Three spots for the car depot have been recognised."
