BMC to start work on 90feet road in Chandivali, issues 815 notices to affected structures

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued 815 notices to remove structures in the alignment of a proposed 90-feet road in Chandivali, Mumbai. The road aims to reduce traffic congestion and provide an alternative route for transportation. The work will be undertaken in two phases and is expected to benefit residents in reaching Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road more easily. The project is seen as a victory for the citizens who had protested for its construction.

Mumbai: The hunger strike by Chandivali residents on August 20 bore results as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued 815 notices to remove affected structures coming in the alignment of the proposed 90-feet road in the Development Plan (DP).

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After the completion of this road, traffic congestion from Chandivali to Khairani Marg in Powai will be reduced. And Chandivali residents will get an alternative route for transportation.

The proposed 90 feet DP road will connect Chandivali Farm Road and Jogeshwari Vikhroli Link Road.

“This will be one of the biggest demolitions undertaken by the BMC. Almost all the structures are residential encroaching on private plot belonging to Nahar developer,” said Dhanaji Herlekar, assistant commissioner, L ward.

“The Supreme Court (SC) had ordered to act on the encroachers on that plot and we had attempted to evict them three times. The slumdwellers approached the court and got an injunction. The court, now, has again issued the orders,” added Herlekar.

He said, “The encroachers have got notice and the matter is under process now. They have to submit documents available to them and after scrutinising the papers, a speaking order will be issued. They are not BMC’s liabilities, so they will not be rehabilitated by the BMC.”

Also, the process of handing over the place in Chandivali from the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) (Central Government) is under process. After the handover of the site and removal of the affected structures on it, the proposed road work will begin.

The proposed 90 feet road in Chandivali will be 800 meters long and 27 meters wide. This work will be completed in two phases. In the first phase, the road work will be done on the site at Nahar and in the second phase, road work will be done on the site owned by SCI.

Hindustan Times was the first to report about Chandivali citizens’ protest in February12 and August 20 when they went on a hunger strike. They currently spend a minimum of 45 minutes to an hour to traverse a 15-minute road to get to JVLR.

The alternative for the residents, the 90 feet road, is in the DP, but has been stuck in limbo. Around 200metres of the road was constructed in 2021, and the now partial road is being used as a parking lot for trucks and bikes.

With its completion, the residents would have a better option to get to JVLR from Chandivali Farm Road. The road would connect them with Powai and the eastern and western suburbs.

Mandeep Singh of Chandivali Citizens’ Welfare Association (CCWA) welcomed BMC’s move to construct the 90feet DP road and said, “It’s a big win for the citizens. We expect the BMC to finish the project as soon as possible. We thank every resident who supported our campaign twice. We thank HT for amplifying our voice.”