Mumbai: Members of the Republican Party of India (A) blackened the boards at Chakala station to protest against Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure for using their logo on the boards of all Metro stations on the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar route.
The RPI activists said, it was not fair to use only Reliance Infrastructure logo as The Mumbai Metro One Private Limited has been formed in collaboration with the MMRDA.
They demanded that MMRDA logo should also be used.
A Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) spokesperson said, MMOPL has been rightfully using the Reliance Metro logo. It is within the contract condition and as per industry practice.
Meanwhile Reliance Infrastructure has blamed the MMRDA for not providing guidance on the issue and raising objections at the last minute.
The MMRDA had written to the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Infrastructure earlier this week, asking it to drop 'Reliance' from the logo of the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro line and use 'Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd' instead.
"The logo was to be finalised in a time-bound manner and much in advance to the completion of the project. MMRDA decided to keep the issues open and is raising objection when the project is all set to be commissioned," a Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd (MMOPL) spokesperson said.
Reliance Infrastructure has claimed that it had received approval from the MMRDA earlier to use the same logo and the MMRDA had only wanted its name to be carried prominently.
"MMOPL submitted the final artwork of the logos for record and clarified that the matter is closed between the parties," the spokesperson said.
With operations of Mumbai's first Metro line set to commence sometime in mid-2014, friction between Reliance Infrastructure, which is building the Rs 4,000-crore project, and the MMRDA, which is the commissioning body for the project, has only increased.
After MMOPL demanded a three-fold hike in the fare to compensate for the project cost escalation last year, Chief Minister Prithivraj Chavan, who heads the MMRDA, had hinted that the state government could take over the Versova-Andheri-Ghatkopar Metro project.
