Mumbai Metro Line 6 Depot Saga: How the High Court Finally Untangled Years of Litigation at Kanjurmarg

Mumbai's never-ending quest for efficient public transport often hits snags, and the saga of the Metro Line 6 depot at Kanjurmarg is a prime example. After years of legal wrangling, political shifts, and intense debate, the Bombay High Court has finally cleared the path, offering a much-needed sigh of relief for the city's commuters and infrastructure planners. It’s a decision that underlines the sheer importance of public projects over complex private claims, especially in a bustling metropolis like Mumbai.

You see, for what feels like an eternity, the Kanjurmarg site intended for Metro Line 6’s car shed has been a hotbed of contention. The initial plan for Mumbai Metro Line 6, which connects Swami Samarth Nagar to Vikhroli, was approved way back in 2015. Finding suitable land for a depot in a city as dense as Mumbai is always a monumental task. The state government, eyeing a plot in Kanjurmarg, proposed it to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in 2016. A year later, a notification was even issued, reserving this very land for the depot. Sounds straightforward, right? Well, not in Mumbai.

Trouble started brewing almost immediately. While MMRDA began preliminary work in 2018, Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd. swiftly filed a writ petition, claiming ownership of the land. And if that wasn't enough, the Centre, through the Salt Commissioner, then jumped into the fray in 2019, declaring the disputed parcel as 'salt pan land' and staking its own claim. It was, to put it mildly, a messy situation with multiple powerful entities laying claim to the same crucial piece of real estate.

The plot thickened considerably in 2020. The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government made a significant, and ultimately controversial, decision: it shifted the Metro Line 3 car shed from the ecologically sensitive Aarey Milk Colony to this very Kanjurmarg plot. Suddenly, a site already embroiled in ownership disputes was being earmarked for not one, but two major metro lines. The High Court, understandably, put a stay on this land transfer, halting progress and adding layers of complexity to an already tangled web. This period saw intense political back-and-forth, with the then-opposition (led by Devendra Fadnavis) criticizing Thackeray’s move, and Thackeray defending Kanjurmarg as a superior, more environmentally sound alternative to Aarey.

Fast forward to July 2022, with a change of guard in the state government. The Eknath Shinde administration reversed Thackeray's decision, moving the Metro Line 3 depot back to Aarey. This did, at least, simplify matters slightly for Kanjurmarg, as it was now only intended for Line 6. However, the ownership dispute with Godrej and the Centre remained, stubbornly refusing to budge.

Finally, just before Christmas on December 22, 2023, the Bombay High Court delivered its verdict. The bench, comprising Justices R.D. Dhanuka and M.M. Sathaye, took a decisive stance, effectively stating that the public interest in completing the Metro Line 6 project far outweighs the private interests or disputed claims over the land. They noted the critical urgency of the project and highlighted the lack of convincing evidence from the Centre to establish clear ownership of the so-called 'salt pan land'. In fact, the court observed that the state government presented a more robust case for its title to the land.

As for Godrej & Boyce, their claim, which largely rested on an 1888 lease, was also found to be lacking. The court ruled that the state government was fully within its rights to acquire the land under the provisions of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966. Crucially, the bench clarified that while the question of compensation for the land would still need to be determined, it should not, under any circumstances, hold up the public infrastructure project. The court's message was clear: get on with the metro, and sort out the money later.

This judgment is a monumental win for Mumbai's public transport network. Metro Line 6 is a vital East-West connector, and its completion, along with its necessary depot, is crucial for easing the city's notorious traffic congestion and improving connectivity for millions. While the legal battle over compensation might continue, the immediate hurdle has been cleared, paving the way for construction to resume and, hopefully, bringing Mumbai one step closer to a more efficient and well-connected future. It’s a testament to perseverance, and a reminder that sometimes, the greater good simply has to prevail.