The second phase of the 24.5-km-long Mumbai Metro Line 5, which runs from Thane to Kalyan through Bhiwandi, received approval from the Maharashtra government’s Urban Development Department on Tuesday. The 3-km underground section will be built.
The underground section between Dhamankar Naka and Temghar, which is a part of the 11.8-km-long second phase from Bhiwandi to Kalyan, had been placed on hold by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the organisation in charge of developing Mumbai’s infrastructure.
The MMRDA proposal was approved by the UDD with a few conditions. It should not add to the state government’s financial burden, give a thorough project report for the underground component, and receive administrative approval.
The MMRDA claims that taking the 3 km length below was the intended solution because rehabilitation would be difficult due to the area’s many structures.
An MMRDA official announced that Metro 5 Phase 2 construction would shortly begin. “Now, with the approval to carry out the work on the underground portion, we will appoint a consultant. The consultant will be responsible for doing a job for both elevated and underground stretches and accordingly, tenders will be called for giving the work order.”
According to officials, the elevated 12.7 km line between Thane and Bhiwandi had 70% of Phase 1 construction work done.