After opposition from local residents to setting up a car shed at Charkop for the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd stretch of the Metro rail, the state government is considering the shifting of the depot to an alternative site in the vicinity.

Over the last two days, the state Urban Development (UD) department heard around 2,000 complaints of residents with regard to the 23-kilometre second metro route. As per Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) officials, more than 8,500 objections and suggestions were received before the notified date of December 2008.

During the two days, residents from Laljipada in Charkop had complained that they had been living in the area for nearly three decades now and ran businesses there. They said that the government wants to raze the properties at Charkop for the proposed car shed and that would lead to their displacement.

The public hearing was conducted by UD department and was chaired by its principal secretary T C Benjamin, with an aim to address suggestions and objections of people affected by the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd corridor.

The UD department has identified a 45-hectare plot at Laljipada in Charkop for the car shed, which residents in the locality are opposing. The state government is now open to facilitating a 20-hectare plot nearby for the car shed, which will “minimise displacement”. “We would like as little disruption as possible for the car shed. I think it is possible to reduce the area of the shed and look for a plot nearby. This should ensure minimum displacement. The technical team has said that it is possible,” said Benjamin.

BJP candidate from North Mumbai and former union minister Ram Naik had threatened a “Singur-like” agitation to protect the interests of 14,000 families that would be displaced by the proposed car shed. Naik is proposing the car shed to be built on another plot in the suburbs.

Though the government has rejected the idea of shifting the car shed into another suburb, they are looking for a plot near the existing plot in Charkop.

The UD department officials said the car shed is a requirement for stabling in protected area. “We need a slightly bigger plot than the Versova car shed. It is not advisable in terms of protection and security as well as alignment and dead mileage generation to shift the car shed to Borivali or Kandivali. We will look for a plot in the vicinity,” said an official.