Mumbai, Aug. 5 -- The Maharashtra government has proposed a metro corridor connecting Thane, Kalwa, Mumbra and Diva, and has appointed an agency to conduct a feasibility study and prepare a Detailed Project Report (DPR) within six months. According to Maha Metro, the proposed Thane-Diva Metro corridor will integrate with the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor at Mhatardi in Diva. It will also be linked to the Kalyan-Taloja Metro line (Metro 12) at Manpada, creating an integrated network connecting Thane, Mumbra, Diva, Dombivli, Taloja, Kalyan and Bhiwandi. The proposal was discussed at a meeting chaired by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai on Monday. "Kalwa, Mumbra and Diva are witnessing rapid development but were left out of the original metro proposal. Extending the metro to these areas will benefit nearly three lakh residents," Maha Metro managing director Shravan Hardikar told Hindustan Times. "Residents currently depend on overcrowded suburban trains and risk their lives while commuting. Once completed, the project will reduce the burden on both the suburban rail network and roads, besides helping curb railway fatalities caused by overcrowding," he said. He also added that it is proposed to pass through Kolbad and old Thane to improve connectivity while minimising inconvenience. The land acquisition and other formalities for this project would be easier as compared to other metro projects because of the sufficient supply of open land, Hardikar said. He also added that an agency has already been appointed to prepare the DPR. "The corridor is proposed to be partly underground and partly elevated. The project cost, construction timeline and final alignment will be decided after the DPR is completed," he said....