Thane: Residents of the far-off suburbs such as Badlapur, Kalyan, Dombivli, Ghansoli, and Airoli have launched a campaign pressing the state government to expedite the process to initiate construction of Kanjurmarg-Ghansoli-Badlapur Mumbai Metro line 14.
On Sunday, when the Chief Minister was on an inauguration spree of multiple flyovers in the Thane-Mumbra belt, locals, through various methods and placards, made an attempt to send across their plea to him.
The residents who have started with DombivliCentralYT's 'Mumbai Metro Line 14 Campaign' said that, "We have initiated the campaign titled 'Mumbai Metro Line 14 Campaign,' where we have appealed to the citizens to support us both offline and online for the campaign. We have come up with a demand leaflet mentioning things like what do we want? and why do we want it? and why do we deserve it?"
They want Badlapur-Katai-Ghansoli-Kanjurmarg Metro Line 14
They have mentioned in the campaign leaflet that they want Badlapur-Katai-Ghansoli-Kanjurmarg Metro Line 14:The DPR has been submitted to MMRDA, and the next stage is the appointment of a general consultant and the flotation of tenders, so that the line can begin in the next 5-6 years.
The citizen further added that it will drastically reduce local train overcrowding as it will serve as an alternative for people going to Mumbai and Navi Mumbai for work education, and it will help avoid packed buses in peak hours that are frequently delayed by traffic congestion on the Kalyan-Shil road.
It will also reduce the traffic chaos in dense areas
They have further added that it will also reduce the traffic chaos in dense areas, connects to and helps with commuting to the IT parks and manufacturing hubs in Navi Mumbai, and the manufacturing and tech hubs around Vikhroli, IIT Bombay, Powai, Jogeshwari, Lokhandwala Complex, Borivali, Bandra, and BKC.
The DombivliCentralYT in their leaflet on why they deserve it mentioned that according to the government's Economic Survey of Maharashtra 2021-22, Thane district contributes 14 percent to the state's GDP, higher than even Pune district's 11.5 percent and rapidly closing in on Mumbai's 20 percent itself.
A vast majority of the population of the Thane district either resides in or works at all the locations touched by Metro Line 14, and the population completely depends on the heavily overcrowded and frequently delayed local trains because of the lack of alternative high-capacity mass transit systems.
Citizen speak up on need of metro in the region
Ashwini Bhandary (40) said, "As citizens living in Dombivli, Kalyan, Badlapur, and surrounding suburbs, the two modes of commute to our places of work in Mumbai have long become unviable. We spend inordinate amounts of energy, both mental and physical, and time on our daily commute. What will ease our stress is having an alternate mode of transportation via Metro Line 14, which provides connectivity to Navi Mumbai and Mumbai. This is an overdue measure for the tired population in this area."
Vedant Mhatre (24), who has created DombivliCentralYT YouTube channel, and have initiated the 'Mumbai Metro Line 14 Campaign,' said, "The region of the Mumbra-Diva-Dombivli-Kalyan-Badlapur belt is completely dependent on the dangerously overcrowded suburban railway and expensive buses that get stuck in traffic. Unlike other parts of Mumbai where new crowdbuster lines like lines 2, 7, and 4 are being built that will take off the load from local trains, our region isn't getting a line that transports people from our residences to our traditional workplace locations in Navi Mumbai and Mumbai. We request the MMRDA to take this up on a war footing and do the needful to initiate civil construction of Line 14 such that it is commissioned in the next 5–6 years."
"We are working on the detailed project report (DPR) for the line, and it is in advanced stages." On its completion, it will be tabled before the state government to get approval from the state cabinet to float bids for its construction. "Approval from MMRDA’s Authority will also be required to accept the DPR and initiate further processes," said a senior MMRDA official on the status of Magenta metro line 14.
