The debate over Thane’s Lokmanya Nagar–Shastri Nagar cluster scheme is moving from public meetings and social media to a door-to-door campaign, with one Shiv Sena group planning to seek the views, suggestions and objections of residents across 35 housing societies.
According to a report by Loksatta – Thane, local municipal corporator and House Leader Hanmant Jagdale is supporting the cluster scheme and has planned a one-day training programme for 500 workers from the area’s housing societies. After the session, the workers are expected to visit households over the next few days to explain the scheme and record residents’ views.
The outreach follows an open disagreement between two Shiv Sena groups over the proposed redevelopment. The cluster scheme is linked to the development of a road shown in the development plan. An internal metro route has also been proposed along this alignment, making the dispute relevant not only to redevelopment but also to the future movement and infrastructure structure of the area.
The disagreement became public after a meeting organised by the Lokmanya Nagar Bachao Sarvapakshiya Kruti Samiti. State Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik attended the meeting and said that residents were not opposed to development, but would not accept displacement and destruction, according to the report. He also alleged that some people were interested in the cluster scheme rather than merely in widening the road.
Sarnaik’s remarks were seen locally as criticism of Jagdale, who has been pressing for implementation of the cluster scheme. The dispute has since expanded through public meetings, local discussions and social media posts by supporters of both groups. One side has raised questions about the scheme, while the other has sought to explain how it could serve the public interest.
Concerns about residents becoming homeless as a result of the redevelopment have contributed to apprehension in the neighbourhood. Jagdale addressed the issue at a recently held determination meeting, where he clarified his position on the cluster scheme and announced the plan for direct communication with residents.
The proposed campaign is therefore intended to do two things: counter what the organisers describe as misunderstandings about the cluster scheme and gather the position of residents before the political debate develops further. The involvement of 35 housing societies and 500 workers indicates an attempt to build a structured local outreach network rather than rely only on public rallies or online messaging.
The report does not establish the final design, implementation schedule, rehabilitation terms or approval status of the cluster scheme, road or internal metro route. It also does not specify how residents’ objections will be recorded or how they will influence the planning process. For residents, those details will be central to assessing any redevelopment proposal, particularly where road expansion and a proposed transit alignment overlap with existing housing.
The next stage, according to the report, is the one-day briefing for the 500 workers, followed by household-level consultations in Lokmanya Nagar–Shastri Nagar. The campaign will place residents’ responses at the centre of the next phase of the local debate over redevelopment and infrastructure planning.
