National
Congress alleges Rs 18,000 cr scam in Metrorail car depot plan (Lead)
Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS) The Mumbai Congress on Tuesday alleged a Rs 18,000 crore scam brewing in the Maharashtra government’s plans to allot a whopping 30 hectares of prime green land for a car-depot of the upcoming Mumbai Metro III line. The government dismissed the “misleading” claims.
Addressing the media along with activists of the Aarey Conservation Group, Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam accused the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) of issuing advertisements for the land, which contained “blatant lies”.
The activists, including D. Stalin, Amrita Bhattacharya, Priya Mishra, Biju Augustine and Zoru Bathena, said the Mumbai MMRC has claimed that all activities undertaken at the lush green Aarey Milk Colony are legally permitted though the case is pending before the National Green Tribunal’s Pune bench, which has not given permission for work to start on the car-depot.
“In all other cities, only 12 hectares are required to construct such a car depot, but here Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is allotting 30 hectares. The rest of the land will be exploited for commercial uses which at current rates, amounts to a staggering Rs 18,000 crore,” Nirupam said.
He and the activists contended that there were seven major “lies” in the MMRC ads, among them a claim that the land in Aarey Milk Colony belongs to the Dairy Development Department.
“However, the DDD is merely the custodian and it has said it has only 300 acres of land under it, not the 3,000 acres being claimed by the government,” said Stalin.
Nirupam observed that as per the Development Plan, Colaba has been earmarked for constructing of the Metro car depot for the proposed Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ Metro corridor.
“The real reason why the government is insisting on constructing it at Aarey Milk Colony is that the land here does not fall under Coastal Regulation Zone rules and can be easily exploited for any commercial purposes,” he said.
Criticising the move strongly, Nirupam charged Fadnavis of “fooling the people of Mumbai” since Aarey Milk Colony is Mumbai’s green lung and the forested land will be lost forever to the builders and land mafia for commercial constructions.
As per plans, the land will be used to build a car depot for 35 rakes of the 33.5 km long Metro III line, within two years at a cost of around Rs 325 crore.
The MMRC has claimed that a little more than 3,000 trees shall be affected due to the car depot, though the actual construction of the depot will be on 22 hectares and three acres will utilised for a station. The rest would remain untouched.
Dismissing the allegations, a CMO spokesperson said Nirupam’s statement were misleading and intended to tarnish Fadnavis’ image.
He said the entire 30 hectares of land will be used only for Mumbai Metro car depot and not for commercial uses, while five hectares would be left as “a green patch”.
Moreover, the decision to hand over the land was taken by the then Congress-Nationalist Congress Party government of Prithviraj Chavan and possession given in October 2014.
–IANS
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Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.
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