MI dilela shabd paalto (I keep my word)," said CM Uddhav Thackeray before announcing the suspension of Metro III's controversial Aarey car depot. He said he hadn't stalled the Metro project but wanted to review the car shed for which trees had been cut under the cover of darkness early last month. During the protests and the election campaign, the Shiv Sena had promised to take a firm decision on the car shed and relocate it to an alternative site. Insiders said the next action from the chief minister would be to transfer the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation's top brass.

These would include its CMD and senior IAS officer Ashwini Bhide, who had had a verbal duel with protesters and political parties opposing the car shed at Aarey. Sena's youth wing president-turned-MLA Aaditya Thackeray had slammed the MMRC over pursuing the project component against public wishes.