VAG corridor gets right of way

With the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) clearing a major hurdle related to the Right of Way (ROW) for the 11.07-km long Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar (VAG) metro rail corridor, the project has got a major boost.

Problem solved: With the acquisition of a portion of the Maheshwari temple and demolition of a few nearby shops, work on Asalfa metro station at Subhash Nagar has commenced. File pic

Confirming the same, MMRDA Joint Project Director Dilip Kawathkar said, "There were two important issues related to the ROW for VAG line. The one was at Asalfa and the other was at Sarvodaya Hospital in Ghatkopar. Now, both the issues have been resolved and so the construction activity will pick up at these stretches."

He added, "A portion of the Maheshwari temple and a few nearby shops were acquired in the last two months. A fortnight ago, a few of these shops were demolished. Since this acquisition was taking time, the completion of Asalfa metro station at Subhash Nagar was getting delayed."

"Now that shops have been demolished, the work has begun. Moreover, only a section of the temple, that is the front portion, will be required for construction purposes. A cantilever bridge will come above the temple," said another official. In addition, the MMRDA has also demolished the compound wall of Sarvodaya Hospital and the construction of two piers has already commenced outside the hospital. Each pillar will take about a month's time for completion. Currently, the MMRDA is awaiting approval from the Tree Authority to chop a couple of trees outside Sarvodaya Hospital, so that a viaduct can be launched on the piers.u00a0