BMC to appoint consultant to fast-track land acquisition for north Coastal Road

Most of these components, including the main Coastal Road stretch, are awaiting final environmental clearance from the Bombay High Court. The next hearing is scheduled for November 19

MUMBAI: Even as preliminary work on parts of the Versova-Dahisar-Bhayandar stretch of the Coastal Road has begun, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is still faced with the task of acquiring around 346 hectares of land for the 27km project and the network of bridges that will link into it. To speed up the process, the civic body now plans to appoint a consultant to handle land acquisition across both public and private parcels, with a target of completing the exercise within three months.

BMC to appoint consultant to fast-track land acquisition for north Coastal Road

According to Abhijit Bangar, additional municipal commissioner (projects), the consultant will oversee land acquisition not only for the Coastal Road (north) itself, but also a series of connecting bridges, including the Mash-Versova bridge, Lagoon Road to Infinity Mall bridge, Ramchandra bridge in Malad, and the Marve-Manori bridge. These link roads are essential to ensure seamless access to the high-speed corridor.

Most of these components, including the main Coastal Road stretch, are awaiting final environmental clearance from the Bombay High Court. The next hearing is scheduled for November 19.

Beyond the main alignment

The consultant’s mandate will extend to lands required for interchanges, temporary approach roads, sites for shifting high-tension power lines, and parcels marked under the city’s Development Plan (DP). The scope includes survey work, documentation, demarcation and coordination between multiple agencies.

“This is a procedural-heavy task involving extensive paperwork, surveys and marking. Appointing a consultant will help streamline and reduce the load on the civic DP department,” said a BMC bridges department official. “While we have received advance possession of government land on paper, this must now translate to physical possession on site.”

Official records reviewed by HT show the suburban collector has granted the BMC advance possession of 60.52 hectares, including creek portions in Charkop, Eksar, Borivali, Malad, Versova and Juhu. The collector has also instructed the Mangrove Cell to transfer 34.6 hectares of mangrove-affected land to the BMC.

Rehabilitation and institutional relocation

Around 45 structures on Mhada land at Aram Nagar, Versova are likely to be affected. Eligibility verification of project-affected persons (PAPs) will be completed by next month. They will first be shifted to transit accommodation, with the civic body paying rent, until a construction agency is appointed, expected by March 2026.

A major institutional relocation is also involved at the Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Versova, where one of the Coastal Road arms originates. MHADA has been asked to handle land compensation, while the BMC will construct a new building for the institute on an alternate site within Versova.

Private land and FRA claims

For private land acquisition, the civic body is offering compensation through monetary payment, Transferable Development Rights (TDR) or additional Floor Space Index (FSI). Negotiations are ongoing, and some cases, such as 10 shop owners in Eksar, have already reached court.

In addition, 64.7 hectares fall under Forest Rights Act (FRA) claims across Dahisar, Borivali, Malad and Goregaon. FRA procedures for another 17.49 hectares in Andheri West are also underway.

The consultant will also lead land acquisition within the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation limits, including salt pan parcels.

Meanwhile, design finalisation continues. As previously reported by HT, limited preliminary works, such as pier and foundation tests, have begun in non-CRZ zones, including from Goregaon’s Oberoi Mall to Dindoshi Court, and near the Fisheries Institute. Once high court clearances are secured, work is expected to scale up rapidly.