Overview
- Several hundred people organized by Thane Against Integral Ring Metro formed a human chain on Sunday to protest the proposed Rs 12,100 crore internal Ring Metro and press local officials for answers.
- Protesters said the city should prioritise upgrading Thane Municipal Transport bus services and improving roads rather than fund another metro corridor, and they want ridership of existing Lines 4 and 5 assessed first.
- Environmentalists and residents warned the route could require cutting about 3,900 trees and noted the city lacked a functioning Tree Authority Committee for roughly six months, which they say blocked formal public hearings on tree permissions.
- Elected representatives and civic groups said displacement surveys are incomplete and concrete rehabilitation plans are missing for an estimated 1,400–1,500 families in Lokmanya Nagar, Manoramanagar and Sevalal Nagar.
- MahaMetro and the Thane civic administration say about 70% of the route alignment is available, underground tracks near Thane station will sit roughly 20 metres deep, written suggestions will be collected for a DPR due January 2027, and opponents have threatened legal challenges if consultations remain inadequate.