Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik has called for action against developers handling allegedly stalled slum redevelopment projects in Thane, bringing an ongoing dispute within the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena into the city’s redevelopment administration. Sarnaik raised the issue during a visit to the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) office on Thursday, according to a report by Loksatta – Thane.
The projects mentioned in the report are located in Subhashnagar, Gandhinagar, Nalpada and Shastrinagar. Several of them are being undertaken by leaders or associates of the Shinde faction. Sarnaik reportedly argued that action should be taken against developers responsible for projects that have not progressed as expected.
The report identified Thane Municipal Corporation house leader Hanmant Jagdale and former corporator Sanjay Pandey as the political figures at the centre of Sarnaik’s criticism. Pandey is associated with the Subhashnagar redevelopment project, while the Lakshmi Chiragnagar project is being handled by Jagdale, a senior municipal leader from the Shinde faction.
The dispute comes as political differences have also emerged over the route of an internal metro project proposed in Thane. The metro alignment is expected to pass through Jagdale’s ward in the Lokmanya Nagar area, where cluster redevelopment planning is also under way. A large citizens’ meeting opposing the proposed alignment was held in the area last week, with Sarnaik leading the protest, the report said.
The latest redevelopment-related intervention followed that public opposition. Sarnaik visited the SRA office on Thursday and named Jagdale and Pandey while calling for action against the projects associated with them. The move has intensified the political confrontation between Sarnaik and local leaders aligned with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction.
For residents of the affected settlements, the immediate issue is the progress and administration of redevelopment projects in their neighbourhoods. The report, however, does not provide project-wise completion figures, official SRA orders, revised timelines or details of the residents’ rehabilitation status. It also does not include responses from Jagdale, Pandey or the concerned developers to Sarnaik’s allegations.
The next step will depend on whether the SRA records formal action against the developers or seeks project-specific explanations. No details of a written order, hearing schedule or enforcement timeline were provided in the report.
