Mumbai Metro III muddle

Mumbai's political mercury continued to soar on the controversial Metro III project with the Shiv Sena urging the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) to undertake cluster development of nearly 80 to 85 buildings between Maharshi Karve Road and Chira Bazaar to quell the disquiet among the south Mumbai residents and Raj Thackeray slamming the project.
The game of political one-upmanship too continued, with Sena-MNS workers having a verbal spat at a meeting convened by the MMRCL on Monday .
Senior Sena functionary and exMLA Arvind Nerkar asked MMRCL to undertake cluster development of buildings in the south Mumbai belt of Kalbadevi and Girgaum which is to be affected by the project. “MMRCL should float international tenders and go in for cluster development. This will help re-develop the area. Also, no resident will be dislocated from Girgaum,“ he said. The MMRCL had f agreed to “go through“ the proposal, Nerkar added.
Raj Thackeray said Metro III lacked transparency and accountability. “MMRCL has not been furnishing adequate information to Mumbaikars on Metro III. There is a feeling that the project is meant to favour the builders' lobby at the cost of the city's natural habitat and green cover,“ he said at a press conference. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will not pay heed to Mumbaikars' clamour as he only takes orders from the party high command, the MNS chief said.
Launching an attack on the Aarey project, Raj said his party would not call off its agitation till the car shed was shifted to the Mumbai Port Trust (MPT) land in the city .Earlier in the day , Raj, with a contingent of party workers in tow, visited Aarey and inspected the car shed site. He said, “If it (Metro III) is going to be an underground project, there is no need to pull down chawls and transfer residents elsewhere and then bring them back.“
The Sena has planned a Girgaum bandh on March 18. Raj has refused to hold talks with MMRCL officials. He has instead planned a seminar on Metro III and the Mumbai development plan on March 28.
Meanwhile, all those who stand to lose their homes on account of Metro III will get a house double the present size if the current house is less than 300 sq ft, said CM Fadnavis in the assembly on Monday .He said those whose tenements are more than 300 sq feet will get at least 30% more.