The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has accelerated efforts to address the stormwater drain construction delays at Kalina’s Manipada Road after they were brought to light in the middle of the day. The final obstacle, a 50-year-old building obstructing the planned drain, will be removed by the final week of April 2025, officials have confirmed.
The March 27 report by mid-day exposed how the lack of planning in rehabilitating the structure had stalled both the road widening and drainage work. Following this, the BMC’s H-East ward initiated urgent action to address the bottleneck.
According to BMC officials, the paperwork belonging to the impacted Fernandes family are presently being verified. Alternative housing will be made available to them if their eligibility is verified. The building will be razed by the end of April if the family agrees to move.
“We are working diligently and are confident that the premises will be vacated before the end of April,” said Assistant Municipal Commissioner Swapnaja Kshirsagar.
The current road width, which ranges from 9 to 15 feet, is intended to be doubled by the Manipada Road expanding project. On one side, road concreting has already started, while on the other, the roadside drainage system has been built all the way up to the structure.
The BMC has been verifying ownership documents submitted in mid-March, which include electricity bills, electoral records, ration cards, and property deeds. Due to the involvement of multiple agencies, the verification process has taken over a month.
Affected structure owners may be compensated financially under the 2023 policy if they decline alternate accommodations in order to avoid more delays. In order to ensure that displaced residents are relocated as close to their original area as feasible, the BMC gives priority to rehabilitation within the same ward or zone.
After the last structure is taken down, the road expansion and stormwater drain building projects may move forward without any more obstacles, enhancing Kalina’s connectivity and flood control.
Source: Mid- Day
