Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Tunnel Project Moves Forward: 750 Slum Houses To Be Demolished

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will demolish approximately 750 slum dwellings from the Amar Nagar slum in Mulund to facilitate the construction of a tunnel for the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR). The affected residents are set to be relocated to Bhandup West.

The GMLR project aims to enhance connectivity between Goregaon and Mulund. A crucial component of this development is a 4.7-kilometre tunnel that will stretch from Film City in Goregaon to Mulund, passing near the Amar Nagar slum.

According to a BMC official from the bridges department, the displaced residents will be provided with flats measuring around 300 square feet. "The relocation project, which includes the construction of 906 flats at Runwal Forest, is already underway," the official stated in Hindustan Times (HT). "The new residential complex will consist of three 23-storey towers with seven wings each. The BMC's building and construction department is handling the work, and 21 per cent of the project is already completed."

Kishore Jain, a resident of Amar Nagar who owns both a residential and commercial unit in the slum, reported in HT that there are 1,707 residents in the area. Of these, about 750 have received notices from the BMC, indicating that their homes are in the path of the tunnel. However, many residents remain uncertain about the specifics of their relocation.

Jain expressed concerns regarding the relocation process. "We have lived here for over 35 years. While the BMC has completed the eligibility verification, we have not been informed of our new locations. We were initially promised 375-square-foot flats, but the current plan only offers 300-square-foot units," Jain noted.

He also mentioned that the residents were initially supposed to be relocated to Kanjurmarg, but this plan was altered after intervention from local MP Manoj Kotak, who requested that the relocation be within a three-kilometre radius.

The BMC is pushing forward with the construction of the new flats, aiming for completion by June 2025. "We are still waiting for clear details on the relocation process," said Gopilal Kumavat, another resident. "While the eligibility verification is complete and notices have been issued, there is still some uncertainty regarding the size of the flats and the exact timeline for the move."

About The GMLR Project

1. The Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) is a major east-west connection in Mumbai.
2. It will link the Western Express Highway at Goregaon with the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) in Mulund via twin tunnels beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).
3. The project will start at Oberoi Mall in Goregaon and end at the Airoli EEH junction.
4. It is expected to reduce travel time across the city from 90 minutes to just 25 minutes.
5. The completion date for the twin tunnels is set for October 2028.