Minister says govt keen to build new station in Thane

The wait for a new railway station in Thane might get over soon as state health minister Deepak Sawant has assured that the government is positive about the project.

“The state government is positive about allotting the Thane Mental Hospital land for the construction of the new station,” said the minister who was in Thane for a programme organised at the mental hospital. However, Sawant, like earlier, did not gave any confirmation regarding this.

The construction of the new station is stuck for over a year due to the pending approval from the state to allot land to the Thane Municipal Corporation. The new station will ease 30% crowd off Thane station and 24% from Mulund station.

In a joint press conference held by the health minister, Thane Municipal corporation, railway and MURAD authority, civic commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal announced that the work on three major infrastructure projects will begin from January next year. These projects include, the widening of the Kori bridge, a new Thane station and Thane east Station Area Traffic Improvement Scheme (SATES).

“The mental hospital land is 14.4 acres out of which ten acres is free land and 4.4 acres is encroached. We have given two options to the state, we will given adequate TDR in exchange or else we will give the health department build up FISH equal to that of the free hold land,” said Jaiswal.

The proposal of constructing the new station is over a decade-old. The TIC has finally agreed to fund the construction of the station last year and got approvals for the design from the railway authorities. The station will be constructed on the plot owned by the Thane Mental Hospital, which is under the state health department.