The Chief Minister's recent announcement about starting a Dombivali-Taloja Metro has sparked bewilderment. Kalyan MP Shrikant Shinde has asked CM Devendra Fadnavis if Dombivali-Taloja route is separate from the already approved Kalyan-Dombivali-Shil-Taloja Metro, for which Shinde had been pushing ever since the Mumbai Metro came up.

On December 18, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the groundbreaking of Kalyan-Bhiwandi-Thane Metro, CM Fadnavis announced there would be a Metro from Dombivali to Taloja.

"On the persistent requests of state minister Ravindra Chavan, we have decided to add Dombivali-Taloja route to the existing Metro plan," Fadnavis had said.

But a detailed project report (DPR) for the Rs 4,132-crore Kalyan-Dombivali-Shil-Taloja Metro had already been approved by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority on November 21. Though the project was deemed unviable by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, it managed to get a green light from the authorities.

Political sources said the announcement is a "populist, credit-mongering" move before the general elections. "Everyone knows it was MP Shinde who demanded a Metro for Kalyan. Then to give the credit to BJP minister Chavan shows it is all about votes," said one. Kalyan MP Shinde, who has persistently taken up Kalyan-Taloja Metro issue with the CM for two years, felt the announcement was confusing as "the DPR has already been approved."