Metro Line 3 completes over 50.30 km of tunneling work

MMRC has also completed 100% tunnelling work in Package 5

The Mumbai Metro Line 3 (Colaba--Bandra Seepz) has completed 50.3 kilometers of tunneling work infor med Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) which is undertaking this line work. MMRC is the nodal agency appointed by the state gover nment. It further infor med that on Thursday 100 per cent tunneling work in Package 5 has been completed. Moreover, Package 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 SEEPZ to Science Museum is now connected by the twin tunnel (18.5km), the agency stated.

Besides this, MMRC also signed an agreement with the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra to plant 9000 trees by Miyawaki method in the next 3 months.

Interestingly, the underground metro work is going on in full swing, however, the problem on the controversial metro depot is yet to be resolved. The Metro 3 depot has been shifted from Aarey Milk Colony to Kanjur marg salt pan land following objections by the people. Reportedly, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray declared that the depot be shifted to Kanjur marg from Aarey. Now since the new depot is proposed at Kanjur marg, which is a salt pan land and claimed to be under the Central gover nment 's ownership, both Centre and state have locked hor ns over it.

The underground Metro 3 is planned to be operationalised in two phases. The stretch from Aarey Colony to Bandra Kurla Complex was to be opened by December 2021 and the stretch from Bandra Kurla Complex to Cuffe Parade by mid-2022. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown and delay over depot land has eventually extended the time line of the project.