‘IF METROS REALLY REDUCE POLLUTION, WHY IS DELHI’S AIR SO TOXIC?’

Mumbai Mirror , Wednesday, March 08, 2017
Correspondent :
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation chief is of the opinion that while the “loss of 2,800 trees” might look horrifying, there are several environmental gains that will accrue from the under-construction Colaba-Seepz Metro project (Metro III). I beg to differ with several of her claims that were made in an interview with this newspaper yesterday.

First of all, Mumbai’s citizens, including yours truly, look forward to the setting up of a wellconnected Metro network, but not in a manner that rides roughshod over environmental concerns. We cannot afford to have a model that is not environmentallyinclusive in a city in which temperatures have touched 38 degrees even before summer has set in.

Lesser trees mean higher temperatures. The justification that Metro systems reduce air pollution and traffic doesn’t hold when you look at Delhi or Kolkata. Delhi, with its toxic air, despite having a great Metro network, is an example of how the myth stands exposed. And, then there are playgrounds that will be swallowed by Metro projects.

The so called careful planning that has supposedly gone behind the project is nowhere to be seen. Not a single document has been shown to show the “careful” consideration dished out to each tree, as claimed. If the Delhi Metro enhanced the green cover, it would show in terms of quality of air and temperatures.

The site chosen for planting three times the number of trees lost in Mumbai is scientifically unviable. Trees in Colaba will be in Wadala marshlands. Banyan trees will be replaced by trees that may grow in saline conditions. Almost all the transplanted trees from MMRDA projects are dead, and yet no action has been taken. Only a bonsai expert can think of planting saplings of trees having a canopy of 30 feet within 8 feet of each other. The BMC’s garden department has certified dead trees transplanted as alive, so the less said about it, the better.

As importantly, why has a station been proposed inside Aarey? No expert committee has ruled out Kalina or Kanjur Marg. In fact, the government’s experts have categorically stated that all other sites suggested needed further evaluation, like it was done for Aarey.

The Kalina plot has suddenly become taboo, though there is no explanation as to why it featured prominently in MMRDA’s Detailed Project Report as the best option for the Metro car shed. Ditto for Kanjur Marg -- the land there is no longer marshy as claimed. Another government agency successfully reclaimed over 65 hectares of active wetlands in less than a year in the same region for its waste disposal unit. The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation’s claim that the stay order on the Kanjur Marg land not being vacated – it is under dispute between the government and private parties – is not backed by any document. According to the HC, the government mysteriously chose to withdraw its petition.

As far as Aarey goes, the CM, in his meeting with citizens, categorically said that MMRCL would get no more than 20 hectares of land for a doubledecker car shed in the area, and that it would eventually move to Kanjur Marg. But, if there were no plans to commercialiseAarey, why was the notification for change of land use from No Development Zone to Commercial C1 issued?

All options have been shot down by MMRCL. Backbay is a no go, because it will involve reclamation. Mahalaxmi cannot be in the picture, because the spectator stand at the race course, a heritage structure, is just 60 metres away from the digging points. The barren land at BKC has high real estate value. It’s a no for Kalina as well, because the land is needed by the University. Mumbai Port Trust land cannot be used since the Colaba-Seepz line needs an extension, and Sariput Nagar is too close to the Mahakali Caves (which makes me wonder: is JVLR that far from the Caves?) That leaves us with Kanjur Marg, which incidentally has a yard for the Kanjur Marg-Jogeshwari Metro VI that will be connected to Metro III. Spending Rs 1500 crore – about 5% of the project cost – for the car shed at Kanjur Marg will be a wise investment that will serve both Metro III and VI.

Why a site inside Aarey was chosen in flagrant violation of the law still remains unanswered. Environmental benefits will not reduce if the car shed is shifted out of Aarey. By claiming that the Metro cannot be built without Aarey, the agency is holding the city to ransom. The moot question is: What is the main purpose of Metro 3? To solve transportation needs, or to build a depot in Aarey?

 
SOURCE : http://mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com/mumbai/cover-story/if-metros-really-reduce-pollution-why-is-delhis-air-so-toxic/articleshow/57526241.cms
 


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