Thane: After months of uncertainty, clarity has emerged regarding the much-delayed work on the Bhiwandi-Kalyan stretch of Metro Line 5. On Friday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis provided crucial updates in the assembly while responding to a query raised by Samajwadi Party MLA Rais Shaikh.
To avoid large-scale rehabilitation issues, a plan has been proposed to construct a 5 km underground metro section. The responsibility for preparing the project report has been assigned to TCL company and work will accelerate once the report is received.
Details On Metro Line 5 Project
Metro Line 5, initially launched with a groundbreaking ceremony by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kalyan on December 18, 2018, has seen little progress on the Bhiwandi-Kalyan stretch. While Phase 1, covering the route from Thane to Dhamankar Naka in Bhiwandi, is nearly 80 per cent complete, there was no clarity on Phase 2 until now. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), responsible for executing the project, had remained silent on the plans for the next phase.
The state government had announced in March 2022 that a 3 km section passing through Bhiwandi would be laid underground to protect 735 buildings from demolition. The urban development department later approved this plan on June 6, 2023, with an increased project cost of Rs 1,727 crore. However, no progress had been made for almost two years, prompting MLA Rais Shaikh to bring up the issue in the assembly, reported Times of India.
“Bhiwandi is the Manchester of India and the country’s largest logistics hub. Improving connectivity through the metro is crucial for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR),” Shaikh emphasized. The delay in execution has caused major concern among residents and stakeholders who rely on better connectivity for trade and daily commute.
CM Fadnavis Responds To MLA Rais Shaikh’s Concerns
In response, CM Fadnavis assured that significant work had already been completed on the first phase of Metro Line 5, with 80 per cent of physical construction done from Thane to Bhiwandi. He acknowledged the challenges in the Kalyan-Bhiwandi stretch, where extensive rehabilitation would be needed if the metro were built above ground.
To address this, the decision was made to take the metro underground for 5 km, avoiding displacement and reducing overall disruption. TCL has been entrusted with preparing the feasibility report, and work is expected to move forward swiftly once the report is submitted.
With this announcement, the long-pending Bhiwandi-Kalyan metro extension finally has a clear path forward. If executed efficiently, the underground metro will not only ease rehabilitation concerns but also enhance connectivity in one of Maharashtra’s most important industrial and trade hubs.
