For suburban Mumbai residents who endure ceaseless gridlock, pronouncements about new infrastructure can feel like the whispers of a long-forgotten dream — perpetually postponed, never completed, all but mythical in their promises of deliverance.
But in Kandivali East, one such critical work — the jam burner 120-foot Development Plan (DP) Road — has finally had the biggest hurdle against it turned to dust, setting into motion a mega decongestion exercise across Mumbai’s northern outpost.
It’s not just a road, you see; it is an artery with purpose that stands to change lives for thousands and thousands of people (for those who dwell in the Humongous Lokhandwala Township area!). Yet, the fundamental problem that had stymied its progress for years simply concerned human habitation — a settlement right in the intended road’s path. The clear and decisive action by the local government on this displacement issue is an incredibly important victory, a far too rare case of our embattled organization being able to shift our gaze from legislative battles to simple construction matters.
Clearing of the Track: Victory for Residents and the BMC
The turning point didn’t come in court but a community hall, where 120 Project Affected Persons (PAPs) were given new homes. The families, whose dwellings at Singh Estate had been the main hurdle to the road’s construction, were given the keys to new flats near Kandivali East station. This was seen as a clear sign that the authorities were again determined, it became clear shortly before municipal elections.
The rehabilitation was nervous work. For years, the PAPs themselves had struggled to be recognized and had arrested their refusal outright from moving to Mahul—a place Bombay High Court observed as “untenable” because of high degree pollution. Their tenacity has paid off with a safe and dignified answer that 167 households have been restored to. The fresh allotment will mean that 85 meters (500 metre stretch) of the crucial 250-meter-long stretch required for road alignment space has already been vacated.
The process has now been put on the fast track, said assistant municipal commissioner of R/South ward Arti Gholekar. “These families will be given 15 days after the formalities are completed and they are in possession of keys for their flats, following which demolition work will commence,” she said. The civic body, crucially, has already given the necessary road contracts so there will be no administrative delay once the road occupying physical space is ready. The finishing post is now in sight, with just 27 more eligible families waiting to be allocated (a process which will be completed soon after the post-election handover in January).
The schedule is ambitious but doable: The entire 120-foot DP Road should be ready to provide final access for all vehicles by late May 2026
This is so much more than local relief. This new route is meticulously designed, as an alternate parallel to snail-like the Western Express Highway (WEH), on its way from Borivali up to Dindoshi. The ostensible idea then is to integrate harmoniously with large scale, game-changing projects such as the ambitious Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) and even Coastal Road network. And at its Borivali end, it’ll tie into the nascent Thane-Borivali twin tunnel; a vital element in Mumbai’s future traffic upgrade. For those who are driving daily on the over-congested Akurli Road, this parallel access will be nothing less than miraculous.
There was sheer relief and visible joy among the affected people during the time of allotment. To others, that marked the end of a decade spent living in the shadow of eviction and homelessness. Vilas Kadam, 72 — who was told that his new home would be on the 16th floor — couldn’t stop smiling. “I have been fearing for nine years, about getting homeless and evicted… but today all my fears are gone. Owning a home in Mumbai was a big deal,” he said, capturing the scale of the relief.
Madhuri Samen, a 61-year-old retired school teacher, was also excited to move into her new 305-square-foot apartment. While she fondly reminisced about her former chawl life, she also looked to the future when only her grandchildren are satisfied: “I am glad that it will be a much better quality of life for my grandchildren. They will also garner more social respect.”
I am a versatile content writer from the MP region, covering politics, business, crime, current affairs, entertainment, video games, and sports with clear insights, engaging analysis, and timely, reader-focused updates.
