In what it may be called as the costly Metro project, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) Metro-4 (Wadala-Kasarvadavli) line would cost around Rs 45,000 crore if made underground.
According to the Hindustan Times, in a statement on Tuesday, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has said that the cost of the Metro-4 line would triple if made underground. This reaction came after Thane-based NGO approached the Bombay High Court demanding the Metro-4 line be made underground. “The cost of the Metro 4 corridor (Rs 15,000 crore) would triple to Rs 45,000 crore, if implemented underground. Besides, MMRDA is also implementing 12 other Metro corridors and would require the funds,” the MMRDA’s statement read.
On Monday, the NGO, Thane Nagarik Pratishthan told the leading daily that, in its petition filed in April, NGO stated that an elevated corridor could lead to traffic congestion, cutting of trees and displacement of the residents. The NGO has also alleged that the project was being implemented in a discreet manner, without sharing any information about the project. Local MLA Pratap Sarnaik told the Hindustan Times, “Whatever the issues, it can be sorted with the authorities. I request people not to put road blocks on our decade-old effort to get Metro in Thane.”
Ahead of the monsoon, activists have highlighted that the construction of an elevated Metro 4 will lead to water-logging in Thane. The 32.32 km Metro-4 line is planned to be fully elevated and is expected to consist of 32 stations from Wadala (Mumbai) to Kasarvadavali (Ghodbunder road, Thane) via Ghatkopar, Mulund, and Teen Hath Naka, a popular traffic crossing in Thane.
