Thane: As many as 198 villagers maintained their stance to not part with their land required for constructing the combined carshed for four metro routes at Mogharpada along Ghodbunder Road unless the state defines and clarifies the compensation package for their land.
A delegation of villagers met cabinet minister Pratap Sarnaik and Thane collector Ashok Shingare on Wednesday, expressing their concerns. Around 100 hectares – mainly class II land – needs to be acquired for the construction of the carshed for metro routes 4, 4A, 10, and 11. The govt earlier announced a package where 22% developed land will be given to title holders and 12.5% to those who were tilling the class II land for the last several years but their names were not on records.
Farmer Baban Bhoir queried if the govt papers mentioned the compensation figures and requested similar reimbursement for nearby land acquired for mangrove conservation, while Vinit Thakur sought time to understand the policy and discuss it with villagers. “We are not opposed to the project but need a written agreement specifying the type of compensation,” he said.
The Wednesday meeting, however, took authorities by surprise, who now fear an impact on the project schedule as the carshed land is still not acquired despite the MMRDA already clearing decks for civil work at the facility and metro 4 line construction scheduled for August 2026 completion.
However, Sarnaik allayed fears and said the issue would be resolved. “Few landowners have only sought a detailed plan and clarity about amenities to be provided on the developed land. As many farmers were not present for the Wednesday meeting, a fresh meeting will be held on Feb 7,” he informed.
District Collector Ashok Shingare also assured farmers to amicably resolve all doubts and issues after consulting all stakeholders.
Meanwhile, a reply to an RTI query filed by activist Anil Galgali revealed that the construction of the 32 km-long elevated metro 4 (Wadala – Kasarwadvali) line will be completed by August 2026 following a delay of five years and a cost escalation of Rs 1274.8 crore.
