Decks cleared for Metro depot at Dahisar.

In a major boost to the progress of the Metro 7 corridor that would connect Andheri East-Dahisar East, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has given an in-principal approval to allow the transfer of its land to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to house the depot of the Metro route.

'I met the AAI Chairman in Delhi and the good news is that AAI is ready to relocate,' said Sanjay Sethi, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA.

Locating and securing a plot to construct the depot for city’s Metro rail projects has always posed a challenge for the authorities. Metro corridors including the operational Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar corridor, the proposed Metro-II (first planned as Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd) and Metro-III (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ), all have faced delays or alteration of alignments.

Earlier this week, officials of AAI and MMRDA discussed the options of relocation, which was finalised after MMRDA officials’ visit to New Delhi. The 65-acre plot, the proposed site for the depot, currently houses AAI’s receiving station at Dahisar.

According to officials, the area required for construction of the depot is about 20 acres. Sethi added that earlier they had explored the possibilities of coexisting — receiving station and metro car depot in the same plot — but it was not feasible technically or financially.

'We had offered them alternative plots at Gorai and Mandala in Mankhurd, but plot at Gorai is suitable to them as per their new regulations,' Sethi added.

The 16.5 km corridor with 16 stations will cost Rs. 6,208 crore and will be implemented by MMRDA. The corridor is planned along the Western Express Highway and is likely to be extended up to the Domestic Airport.


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