Mumbai: They’ve sneakily moved a whole metro station, say Bandra residents

Residents of Tata Blocks Bandrarsquos plush Parsi residential colony and other stakeholders on SV Road have sought an explanation from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA after the latter decided to shift the location of the National College station which is part of the Metro 2B corridorLocals have alleged that the decision was made discreetly without informing stakeholders They also claimed they were neither informed nor suggestions or objections were sought from themResidents and stakeholders discuss the development on MondayAs per the earlier plan for the Metro 2B corridor there are to be two stations in Bandra WestmdashBandra which will be coming up near the Lucky restaurant signal and National College near Jivan Kiran Bungalow opposite Railway Colony According to residents the National College station has now been shifted opposite Tata Blocks starting from Grace Galaxy hotel and extending up to the Maruti Auto Vista showroom on SV RoadAlso Read Maharashtra Designs of four bullet train stations unveiledOn Monday unhappy residents under the aegis of the Varde Marg Residents Association wrote an objection letter to the MMRDA project director seeking an explanation Meanwhile Tata Blocks residents have started a signature campaignOngoing construction work for the Metro 2B line on SV Road near Tata Blocks in Bandra West on Monday PicsShadab KhanThe change in the plan only came to light when Tata Blocks residents approached the MMRDA last week after the turning in front of their entrance was blocked inconveniencing senior citizens Realising something was amiss they started inquiring around and found out about the new plan Alarmed they decided to seek clarification from the MMRDAAs per sources part of the Sadhu Vaswani Garden will also be affected in order to facilitate exit and entry points for Metro 2BLocalSpeakZameer Cyrus Palamkote resident and joint chairman of Varde Marg Residentsrsquo Association said ldquoAs stated in our objection letter the decision to discreetly shift the Metro station goes against sound principles of town planning It will also adversely impact Sadhu Vaswani Garden the only green space in the area and has disastrous consequences on vehicular and pedestrian movement at the HP JunctionrdquoHe added ldquoWe have no objection to the project We are not objecting to it merely because it is coming opposite our residences We are against the way MMRDA changed the original plan without taking residents and other stakeholders into confidence Also shifting the station towards one of the busiest junctions on SV Road in our opinion will be absolutely catastrophicrdquoDr Anand Shroff of Dr Shroff Eye Hospital said ldquoAccess to medical care will be compromised with commercial transport vehicles parked at our hospital entrance Having an exit close to the main junction compromises the smooth traffic flow and having an exit at the park will result in the unnecessary cutting of old trees This part of SV Road does not have the necessary width for a station and the station being away from the business and education hubs on Linking Road will result in unnecessary rickshaw travel for all passengersrdquoRamola Rodrigues a teacher who resides in the area said ldquoWe sincerely urge representatives of all political parties in Bandra to please rise above party politics and assist us in resolving this matter in the interest of our beloved BandrardquoDr Anand ShroffXerxes Parakh a senior citizen residing at Tata Blocks said ldquoI hope that the esteemed trustees of Bai Hirabai Tata Memorial Trust and even our Emeritus Chairman Ratan Tata challenges this move by MMRDA for the welfare of not only Tata Blocks residents but also all residents of BandrardquoHe added ldquoThe move to shift the station backwards seems illogical to us They have ended up reducing the distance between two stations thus questioning the very need for two stations at such a short distance Also previously the stations location was such that it was more beneficial for students and shoppers Podar School MMK college National College and Thadomal Shahani college are all near the previous location We expect MMRDA to be transparent and explain this to us the stakeholdersrdquoAnother resident Noshir Dubash who is also the treasurer of Bandra Tata Blocks Welfare Association said ldquoAs always the dutiful and peaceful Parsi community is once again being taken for granted Citizens of the area the rightful stakeholders in such projects were neither consulted nor informed Government authorities are trampling the voices of reasonrdquoNeale Murray resident and trustee of Celebrate Bandra termed Sadhu Vaswani Garden the one and only lung of the neighbourhood ldquoIf the MMRDA uses this garden space for Metro work it will be an ecological disaster Mumbai especially Bandra is losing its green and open spaces at an alarming raterdquo he saidEarlier objectionsThe 235km elevated corridor was earlier planned over the Linking Road The detailed project report submitted by the MMRDA in 2017 for the 2B line had raised the hackles of eminent architects transport experts hospital and school authorities and residents of Khar Santacruz JVPD Scheme and Vile ParleMMRDA officials told midday they would be able to comment only after going through the letter ldquoThe letter is still in the dispatch section and we havent seen it yetrdquoone of them saidSwapna Mhatre former corporator of ward 100 H West ward said ldquoWhat is the objection of the residents If the MMRDA has changed the station there might some strong reason for it In the earlier spot there was a culvert and other was work going on Hence it might not be suitable for entry and exit Metro is for facilitating the public with lastmile connectivity The matter hasnrsquot come to me yet but I will talk to these residents and find out what are their objections and try to help them outrdquo27Day in Feb that objection letter was written2017Year project report was submitted