India, Sept. 14 -- The proposed Thane Integral Ring Metro Rail Project, cleared by the state government in August 2025, has become the subject of intense debate in Thane. Citizens and experts have flagged alleged design flaws, route redundancies, environmental issues and social costs. Most importantly, they say, the government must publish the detailed public report (DPR) for public scrutiny.

One of the top concerns are the 82 bends in the 29-km route, an engineering challenge in a heavily congested city. Thane has extensive underground utility networks, which could make the execution of a project like this very difficult, say activists.

The proposed route passes through densely populated residential, commercial and industrial areas, pr...