CM inaugurates six new projects, including metro 12

The CM added that his government was a government that kept its word and had “solved” the issue of Maratha reservation. In order to give strength to the unemployed, this government is now organising the Namo Maha Rozgar Mela on March 6 and 7 in Thane district as well

THANE: Six new public facilities were inaugurated in the Kalyan-Dombivli area on Sunday by chief minister Eknath Shinde: a modern maternity home, a cancer hospital, a fish market, the Dr Nanasaheb Dharmadhikari Hall, the autopsy section of Dombivli’s Shastri Nagar Hospital and the Metro 12 line from Kalyan to Taloja.

Kalyan India - March 03 2024 Pics : various development works in Dombivli from the Chief Minister Bhoomipujan and Lokarpan were also completed online on Sunday.Photo by Pramod Tambe. Sunday March 03 2024 . Pramod Tambe/HT

After the foundation stone ceremony for the metro line, done in the presence of deputy chief ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, Shinde wrapped up the line-up with a ‘Government at your Doorstep’ programme. The piling work for the metro construction was initiated shortly after the ceremony.

Addressing the people, Shinde assured them of several such new development projects in the city. In pre-election mode, he praised his government, saying it delivered benefits directly to “needy beneficiaries”. He extolled projects like the Samruddhi Expressway, the Trans-Harbour Link and the various Metros which, he said, had brought Maharashtra to the first rank in development. Shinde also claimed that the state “got the number one award in cleanliness” and that his deep clean drive had “reduced pollution rapidly”.

The CM added that his government was a government that kept its word and had “solved” the issue of Maratha reservation. “In order to give strength to the unemployed, this government is now organising the Namo Maha Rozgar Mela on March 6 and 7 in Thane district as well,” he said.

The 22.173-km Metro 12, which will have 19 elevated stations, is being constructed at a cost of ₹5,865 crore. Approximately 2.62 lakh commuters will be the beneficiaries of the project, whose estimated completion date is December 30, 2027. According to officials, as per the recommendations in the Comprehensive Transportation Study (CTS), 2008, of MMR, and considering the development plan of 27 villages, the Kalyan Growth Centre and the NAINA area, there was a need for better public transport to cater to the rapid urbanisation in Kalyan-Dombivli, and Taloja/Navi Mumbai.

The residents of Dombivli-Kalyan were happy about the inauguration of the Metro line. “I have heard that metro commuters can cover the distance between Kalyan and Taloja within 45 minutes,” said 35-year-old Dombivli resident Sagar Patil. “Right now, we spend one and a half hours on the road because of traffic and poor roads.”

Patil said the metro would enable seamless connectivity between Navi Mumbai and Kalyan-Dombivli. “Because of this, employment opportunities will increase, and travelling time and road accidents during the monsoon will be reduced,” he said. “Right now, all those who stay in Katai, Dombivli and Kalyan use their own vehicles because of the lack of good public transport. They will be automatically attracted to public transport once the metro starts. It will reduce the number of vehicles on the road and save fuel money as well.”