Mumbai, September 17: Much to the disappointment of Mumbaikars, the two metro stations that were planned on the DN Nagar-BKC-Mandalay route have now been scrapped. Reports inform that MMRDA, which is the metro development agency, did a reassessment of feasibility of the area and came to a decision to cancel the proposed Kurla Terminus metro station and MMRDA station at Bandra-Kurla complex. According to a report by TOI, the metro route (line 2B) which was to have 22 stations will now have only 20. Mumbai Metro Rail: Internal Metro For Thane City May Get Scrapped, to be Replaced by High-Speed Tram.

Giving a brief explanation about the reason to scrap the idea, the TOI report quoted MMRDA Chief RA Rajeev said that MMRDA metro station planned at the junction of BKC Road and MMRDA junction has been scrapped as it would overlap with the ramp of the Kala Nagar flyover. The official further added saying that MMRDA planned to shift MMRDA station further east, but it would have overlapped with the Income Tax Office junction.

Talking about the Kurla Terminus metro station, the official said that MMRDA found that the distance between Kurla Terminus metro station and Kurla railway station would be barely half a kilometre. The Kurla Terminus metro station was planned close to the Central Railway line on the west side, which would now not be possible as the ideal distance prescribed is 1 km. The MMRDA Chief said it makes no sense to have stations less than 500 metres apart as people can easily walk this distance.

According to the TOI report, RTI activist Anil Galgali flagged this issue. He said the MMRDA should have thought of an alternative place in Kurla (west) and blamed it for moving ahead with its decision without seeking suggestions of residents.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 17, 2020 06:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).