Mumbai: After holding protests and meetings with officials, residents from western suburbs have been preparing to move court against the elevated metro corridor 2B between DN Nagar and Mankhurd.
The residents’ petition comes after a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed last week by a socio-political activist and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member from Bandra.
According to the committee of activists and experts, who are demanding that the metro 2B line be made underground in Juhu and Bandra (West), citizen groups will be filing two PILs and individual writ petitions by next week.
Anandini Thakoor, trustee of H/W Federation, told media that funds needed for the legal recourse are being collected through funding.
Residents of SV Road had also sent letters of appeal to PM Narendra Modi after carrying out a massive signature campaign that has gained at least thousands of supporters.
Gautam Rao, chairman of Gazdar Scheme Residents’ Trust, said, “Schools, housing societies and religious institutions on SV Road are supporting the appeal for an underground Metro instead of an elevated one. About 20 groups have come forward to help financially.”
BJP member Ajit Manyal, a Bandra resident himself, filed an PIL about a month ago, stating that an underground metro will allow future development.
“I met with the authorities concerned and decided to go ahead with the PIL on my own. The hearing for the same may be held next month.”
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials stated the various technical reasons, including the high cost for an underground corridor, for going ahead with the commissioning of the elevated corridor from DN Nagar to Mankhurd in phases.
