Don't stab Mumbai in heart, says former CM Thackeray, urges new govt not to build metro car shed in Aarey

Uddhav Thackeray. File pic

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday made an appeal to the Eknath Shinde-led government in the state not to go ahead with its plan of building a Metro car shed in Aarey Colony area of Mumbai.

After taking oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, the Eknath Shinde government decided to go ahead with the controversial Aarey Colony car shed project.

Talking to reporters at the Shiv Sena headquarters two days after he stepped down as CM, Thackeray said if the car shed was built in Kanjur area, as proposed by his government, then Mumbai Metro can be taken further to distant suburbs of Ambernath and Badlapur.

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"I am very upset. If you are angry with me, then vent out your anger, but don't stab Mumbai in the heart. I am very upset that the Aarey decision has been overturned. This is not a personal property," Thackeray said.

After coming to power in 2019, Thackeray decided to scrap the decision of the previous Devendra Fadnavis government to build car shed in Aarey Colony, a forested area adjoining the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.

On Friday, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra said, "Mumbai metro line 3 cannot be started until the car shed is prepared. Land proposed by previous govt for the car shed is disputed. During our govt, 25 per cent of work has been completed on the land proposed by SC and remaining 75 per cent work can be done immediately.