Mumbai Suburban Development Stalled by Project-Affected Housing Shortage.

Five vital infrastructure projects across Mumbai's suburbs, including the ambitious ₹1,192 crore Poisar River rejuvenation and a crucial segment of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR), have ground to a halt due to a severe shortage of suitable housing for Project Affected People (PAPs).

These projects collectively require approximately 4,300 tenements for rehabilitation, but the available housing stock for PAPs is dispersed city-wide, making immediate relocation difficult and socially unappealing for affected families.

The Poisar River project, approved in 2022 with a 48-month completion target, has secured all environmental permissions. However, work is stalled as over 1,500 families near Bihari Tekdi in Kandivali are yet to be relocated. A civic official admitted, "Most families are unwilling to shift long distances."

Similarly, the Goregaon Creek Bridge, connecting Oshiwara and Goregaon, faces the same challenge. Though approved in 2022 with recent environmental clearance, the project necessitates 1,200 PAP homes in Bhagat Singh Nagar, Goregaon (West), which the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) currently lacks. "It’s not feasible to create so many tenements for this one project. We are relying on a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme in the area to accommodate them," stated Additional Municipal Commissioner Abhijit Bangar.

Another critical project, an 18-meter-wide, 2-kilometer connector between Magathane and GMLR, designed to ease traffic on the Western Express Highway, is also stuck. Civic records indicate a requirement for 500 PAP tenements with no available housing in the vicinity.

The road over bridge (ROB) project at Borivali’s Appa Pada Road is also caught in the rehabilitation tangle. Approximately 310 families living along the alignment near Rajendra Nagar need to be relocated for the 880-meter bridge to take shape. Approved in 2021 with a three-year completion target, this project has already overshot its timeline, with the BMC now revising the deadline to November 2026. "We are working on this project right now," said Bangar, acknowledging, "The need for tenement is much higher in the city. Most project-affected families don’t want to shift long distance, which is creating challenges."

Currently, the BMC possesses around 5,500 PAP tenements, but their scattered locations across Mumbai pose a significant logistical hurdle. To alleviate this, the BMC has commenced construction of new PAP homes: 6,731 tenements in Mulund, 1,903 in Bhandup, 529 in Prabhadevi, 4,000 in Chandivali, and 2,068 in Deonar. Officials note that the Bhandup tenements will be prioritized for the GMLR project, but these homes are still under construction.

Until these new rehabilitation facilities are ready, critical infrastructure projects, vital for decongesting Mumbai's roads and mitigating flooding, will remain on hold.