December 20, 2020 7:27:04 pm
Uddhav Thackeray. (Archive)
Maharashtra Prime Minister Uddhav Thackeray said Sunday that it is open to a resolution of the dirt row of the Kanjurmarg subway shed in Mumbai through dialogue with the Center and stated that it is not an “ego problem” for he.
Addressing the people of Maharashtra via a live webcast, Thackeray also said that wearing masks will be mandatory for the next six months in the state in light of COVID-19, and called on people to be careful during the Year celebrations. New.
“Disrupting the projects of others would be of no use… the dispute over the land of the Kanjurmarg car shed is not in the interest of the citizens. I am willing to give credit to the opposition for the project … this is not an ego problem for me, as described, ”he said. “We have all the documents to show that the land belongs to the state government. If there is a dispute over land ownership, the problem can be resolved by
dialogue, ”Thackeray said.
Should the land be allowed to be abandoned for property reasons and should it be handed over to the builders? I ask. Referring to criticism from BJP leaders, he said: “The problem in the land of Kanjurmarg is not about my ego and it should not be about yours as well.”
The Mumbai High Court on Wednesday suspended the order passed by the Mumbai suburban district collector allocating 102 acres of salt flats in the Kanjurmarg area here for the construction of an integrated subway car shed.
It also prevented the authorities from carrying out any construction work on said land. The Center and the Maharashtra government led by Shiv Sena are locked in a dispute over ownership of the land assigned by the state to build the car depot that was previously planned in Aarey Colony, a green belt here.
The previous BJP-led state government had decided to build the car shed for subway line 3 (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ) in Aarey Colony, despite opposition from environmentalists and activists to the extensive logging for the project .
The current MVA government, comprising the Shiv Sena, the NCP and Congress, recently made the decision to move the Aarey Colony car shed to Kanjurmarg.
Thackeray said that Aarey’s car shed, which spanned 30 hectares, was for subway line 3 only, while Kanjurmarg’s 40-hectare land would be used for the shed for lines 3, 4 ((WadalaGhatkopar- MulundTeen Hath NakaKasarvadavali) and 6 (Lokhandwala-Jogeshwari) of the subway. -Kanjurmarg).
It will also be a junction for Metro line 14, which will go up to Ambernath and Badlapur (in neighboring Thane), Thackeray said, justifying the choice of land in Kanjurmarg for the Metro car shed.
He said that by moving the car shed from the Aarey colony, the state saved a forest and the environment. “The Aarey site for the Metro Line 3 car shed was scrapped as more land would have been required in the future at the expense of the forest,” he said, adding that the Kanjurmarg site will operate for 50 to 100 years. Development must be durable, there must be no rush in development, he added.
Thackeray said that despite opposition, the “most expensive” land in the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) here was ceded for the central government’s bullet train project. “We do not create obstruction. If you create problems in Kanjurmarg and we do it in BKC, creating problems in other people’s projects will not help, ”he said.
Referring to the COVID-19 pandemic, Thackeray said prevention is better than cure. “Wearing masks in public places should become a habit for at least another six months,” he said.
He said experts are in favor of imposing a night curfew or other blockade, but he is not in favor of these steps. The coronavirus situation in the state is under control, although not completely, Thackeray said.
Appealing to people to be careful during New Year celebrations, the CM said that the discovery of a new strain of the virus in Europe has resulted in lockdown in several countries as there was no other option. Those who do not follow security protocol should know that they are putting the lives of other people who comply with the rules at risk, he said.
The chief minister said that although life is slowly returning to normal in the state, the reopening of schools has been a problem.
Hitting the BJP for calling him selfish, he said he “had an ego for the welfare of Mumbai and Maharashtra.” “Governments come and go, but development is for people and their future generations,” he said.
Thackeray also said his government has been highly transparent in publishing statistics on positive COVID-19 cases and deaths due to the disease.
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