The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has allowed the construction of a car shed on mangrove land in Malad for the Mumbai Metro Line-II project.

Earlier, MoEF had insisted on constructing the car shed on stilts due to the presence of mangroves on the earmarked land. However, as it was later pointed out by the state government that there were less than two per cent mangroves on the proposed plot, MoEF agreed to allow the car shed on the land.

The Rs 12,000 crore Mumbai Metro Line-II project was envisaged in 2006. Civil work on the 32 km Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd metro line was to begin in 2011, but was stalled due to non-receipt of MoEF clearance for the car shed. MMRDA failed to receive clearance for construction of car sheds at Charkop and Mankhurd due to violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules.

In June 2012, MMRDA identified an alternate site for the metro car depot at Malad and was awaiting MoEF clearance.

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