November 18, 2025: Work on the Mumbai Metro Yellow Line 2B — the 23.643-km elevated corridor connecting DN Nagar in Andheri to Mandale in Mankhurd — will continue at its existing height over Kurla’s Halav Bridge despite repeated objections from residents. Officials from the MMRDA and BMC have clarified that the agency cannot alter the height as the section falls under the funnel zone of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, making adherence to aviation rules mandatory.
Assistant Municipal Commissioner of L Ward, Dhanaji Hirlekar, said, “It is true that the height between the flyover and metro alignment is less than required. We have had several meetings with the residents’ group, explaining to them that we have to follow aviation rules.” An MMRDA official further stated that the alignment has not been changed post-approval and that “we cannot defy aviation rules.”
Residents of Kurla had raised alarm over the low 3.5-metre clearance between the girders and the bridge, arguing that once construction is completed, heavy vehicles — including fire engines and ambulances — would face difficulty using the British-era flyover. However, officials clarified that work on the stretch was never halted. “There is no question of work resumption when it was never stopped in the first place,” an MMRDA officer said.
Regarding emergency access, a senior BMC official noted that ambulances can pass through the available gap, while fire engines will have to rely on alternate routes planned based on the locations of nearby fire stations.
Kurla-based activist Anil Galgali said, “Metro 2B project is important, but as citizens, it is our responsibility to point out if we think there are any flaws and raise our objections,” adding that while concerns were escalated last year, the construction work never stopped.
Once operational, Metro Line 2B will significantly enhance connectivity across Mumbai, linking major transport corridors including the Western and Eastern Express Highways, Western and Central Railway lines, Monorail, Metro Line 1, Metro Line 2A, Metro Line 3, and Metro Line 4, while also passing through the crucial Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC).
Source: The Free Press Journal
