Transport hub plan at Mumbai’s Anik depot gets BEST panel’s nod

This is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) plan to develop Wadala into a residential, commercial and transport hub.

The plan to develop a transport hub at Anik bus depot in Wadala got a boost as the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) committee gave its nod on Tuesday to participate in the Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) project, which aims to bring various modes of transport under one roof.

The plan to develop a transport hub at Anik bus depot in Wadala got a boost as the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) committee gave its nod on Tuesday to participate in the Integrated Transport Hub (ITH) project, which aims to bring various modes of transport under one roof.(Bhushan Koyande/HT (Representative image))

This is part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) plan to develop Wadala into a residential, commercial and transport hub. The MMRDA plans to club the plots of the inter-state bus terminal (ISBT) and Metro casting yard, along with the 16-hectare Anik depot as part of the ITH.

According to an MMRDA official, they have proposed bus depots, mono rail-Metro line and ISBT at the basement and podium floors, while commercial and residential towers will be above it.

The official said that transport systems like the monorail, proposed Metro line, ISBT and bus depot will foster the development planned in Wadala as part of the transit-oriented development concept. The Anik depot presently falls outside the Wadala notified area and the MMRDA has requested the urban development department to include it in the notified area.

MMRDA had earlier sought permission from BEST before going ahead with the planning and designing. Surendrakumar Bagde, general manager of BEST, informed the committee on Tuesday that they will be able to share the detailed plan of the project once it is ready. “We will again bring a proposal for approval once the design and plans are ready,” assured Bagde, when some members raised concerns about the plan.

The BEST committee has sought a joint visit with the body’s administration to the depot to better understand the plan.

According to BEST, the state had allotted 1.61 lakh square metres land at Wadala, where Anik and Pratiksha Nagar depots developed in 1988 and 1996. The land was acquired in three phases between 1977 and 1981.