The upcoming state assembly elections has brought renewed attention to a previously abandoned metro station project near RD National College in Bandra West. This station was proposed over a year ago but was shelved in September 2023. However, two candidates, Congress' Asif Zakaria and BJP’s Ashish Shelar, are now advocating for its revival.
The original plans by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) included a metro station on the Metro 2B line near National College, located on SV Road in Bandra West, outside the Railway Colony/Jeevan Kiran Bungalow. Due to the presence of a micro-tunnel at this site, the station was moved in 2016 to an area outside Tata Blocks, near Sadhu Vaswani Garden. Construction commenced near the garden, at the intersection of SV Road, Linking Road, Turner Road, and Station Road, but was halted mid-way following protests from residents over the potential removal of trees in the garden to make space for station infrastructure. Local residents, seeking to preserve the garden, appealed to Mumbai BJP Chief Ashish Shelar for support, insisting the station should return to its original location.
In September 2023, the MMRDA decided to abandon the station plans. Currently, the nearest metro station under construction in Bandra is near Mohammed Rafi Chowk, with another station, Saraswat Nagar, planned for Santacruz.
Asif Zakaria, a former councilman, has actively advocated for the station’s revival near National College, citing the 2.5-kilometer stretch between the two planned metro stations that serves thousands of residents, educational institutions, and shoppers. He emphasized the need for a second metro station in Bandra, besides the one by the railway station, to better serve the local population.
Zakaria noted that with micro-tunnelling work now complete, it would be feasible to construct a pillar near the original inspection chamber, suggesting that the initial station location should not have been abandoned.
Initially, Ashish Shelar had supported the cancellation of the station project, but he has since changed his stance. He now agrees that the station should be built at the original location, emphasizing that it aligns with his broader efforts to address both civic and infrastructure issues.
Local residents’ groups have also shown conditional support for the station, provided it is constructed near National College and not close to Sadhu Vaswani Garden. We were opposed to the station being built directly near the intersection due to its impact on the garden, explained Zameer Palamkote from the Bandra Tata Blocks Welfare Association. However, he added that they have not yet received any updates on the revival of the station plans.
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