THANE, June 1 -- The proposed Rs.12,200-crore Thane Integrated Ring Metro (TIRM) project is facing growing opposition from residents, environmental activists and urban transport experts, who have questioned the project's viability and warned of substantial environmental, financial and social consequences if it proceeds in its current form. The latest objections have come from residents living along and around Ghodbunder Road, where hundreds of citizens have voiced concerns that the proposed metro alignment could significantly disrupt daily life. According to residents, several stations on the circular metro route have been planned near schools, hospitals and existing Metro Line 4 stations, potentially leading to severe traffic congestion in an already busy corridor. Following representations from local citizens, authorities reportedly assured residents that the alignment would be re-examined and realigned where necessary. The opposition has since widened, with Citizens for Sustainable Transport (CST-Thane) and the Thane Green Collective releasing an independent review that describes the project as a potential "waste of public money". The groups have appealed to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to place the project on hold and immediately suspend all tendering, planning, construction-related activities and tree-felling permissions until a comprehensive independent assessment is carried out. The Ring Metro, which has already secured approval from both the Central and State governments, proposes a 29-km circular corridor comprising 26 km of elevated tracks and a 3-km underground stretch. Preliminary work has already begun through the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC). However, critics argue that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) contains serious shortcomings, including disputed population growth projections, ridership forecasts and environmental assessments, which they claim could paint an overly optimistic picture of the project's long-term viability. At a press conference in Thane on Saturday, urban planner Sulakshana Mahajan, environmentalist Nagraj Chemburkar and environmental analyst Dr Raman Tekale presented a detailed review of the project and called for a complete reassessment before any further progress is made. Dr Tekale, who spent nearly six months analysing the proposal, said the government should defer implementation of the Ring Metro until the operational impact and ridership performance of Mumbai Metro Line 4 can be properly evaluated. He also advocated a fresh, Thane-specific multimodal transport study that examines bus connectivity, cycling infrastructure, pedestrian mobility and integration with the suburban railway network before committing to another large-scale metro investment....