Mumbai: Four principals throw weight behind axed Metro station

Metro 2B construction work continues in front of the Bai Hirabai Tata Memorial Trust, Tata Blocks, in Bandra West. Pic/Satej Shinde

In a letter addressed to Sanjay Mukherjee, metropolitan commissioner MMRDA, a number of Bandra residents, including four principals of colleges in the area, and those who commute to work or conduct business in the area calling themselves ‘stakeholders' have asked for restoration of the Metro Station National College on Route 2B.

Dr Neha Jagtiani, principal, National College, Bandra, said, "Four college principals, including myself, sent an email communication to MMRDA, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, approximately three weeks ago, stating that we need the National College Metro Station. The other three colleges, in the same campus as ours are MMK College, Thadomal Shahani Engineering College and the G J Advani College. We are talking about 20,000 students cumulatively and they were one of the prime reasons for the station to be here. The Metro station at this location means they will not be scurrying around for autos and this will be a huge time saver, too."

Ongoing work of the Metro 2B line on SV Road near Tata Blocks in Bandra. File Pic/Shadab Khan

This station was earlier supposed to come up opposite the Railway Colony. It was then shifted slightly ahead because of a sewage line. The new location affected a portion of the Sadhu Vaswani Park in the area with some activists stating that one staircase of the Metro encroaching on the Park in the design, should be removed altogether. It was also near the Tata Blocks, which some residents took objection to. Finally, the station itself was scrapped. This has created fissures in the community, with some stating that the park has been saved but they wanted the station to be shifted to opposite the Railway Colony. Others claimed that it should not be scrapped, but that one staircase be removed so as not to hinder the green, but stay near the Tata Blocks, as the original location was unfeasible due to the new sewage line alongside the Railway Colony.

Sign line

This communication dated October 19 with more than 200 signatures has as its subject line: ‘Restoration of Cancelled Metro Station on route 2B coming up at National College/Sadhu Vaswani Park area. "We the residents of housing societies located on Turner Road (Guru Nanak Road) and adjoining local residents/shopkeepers/property owners/occupants/tenants in the vicinity of the proposed Metro station namely National College/Sadhu Vaswani Park are absolutely shocked and appalled by the news of the proposed cancellation of the above Metro station."

The second paragraph gives the backstory of the problem with excerpts reading, "The above Metro station was supposed to come up near the Railway Colony but technical difficulties meant it was relocated outside Tata Blocks/Sadhu Vaswani Park. The relocation was objected to by the Tata Blocks residents," yet said the letter, "Only two meetings were held with the local MLA to voice objections, which directly resulted in the cancellation of the said station."

The stakeholders said cancelling the station is, "Akin to throwing the baby out with the bathwater". They then explained that there is a huge section of people who are going to be adversely affected by the cancellation. These are, the letter said, "Locality residents, college staffers and students, Radhaswami Satsang attendees who are all going to be unfortunately deprived of a major public utility service due to this cancellation."

The communication also copied to Ashish Shelar (Bandra W, MLA) Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Poonam Mahajan, MP, Mumbai North Central, ended with, "The restoration of the originally planned Metro station at a mutually agreeable/feasible spo is all that we look forward to." There are 241 signatories to this letter.

A shock

Dhiraj Ajbani, who lives in the area, said, "The cancellation came as a shock. We want leaders to know that it is not just residents but the station will be useful for shoppers and workers too in Bandra. All stakeholders should have been informed and called for the meeting." Ratnakar Walavalkar, another local, said, "Think how convenient the station will be for seniors like me. I just have to cross the road and be home. See the larger picture with the number of students from several colleges in the area and faculty. This will be so beneficial for them." Several signatories state that the cancellation of the station means that the other stations, further South down Bandra and one at Khar, "Will mean people will have to take rickshaws to come to Linking Road, National College side." Deyasini Choudhury, founder Khar-Santacruz Civic group said, "The idea of a Metro is to decongest and this station will do precisely that. We cannot have a not in my backyard attitude. We hope for a re-think and want to see the station back on the route."