January 7, 2026: Residents of Mulund are grappling with mounting difficulties as the long-delayed Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project continues to disrupt daily life. Once considered a premium residential zone, areas along LBS Marg and near Sonapur junction are now dealing with persistent digging, traffic bottlenecks, power interruptions, and rising air pollution. While locals acknowledge that large infrastructure projects take time, many are demanding that work at critical junctions be prioritised to ease daily hardships.
“Mulund residents are always surrounded by digging. First, we had the Metro, then the GMLR; there are private companies with their connection lines. There is seemingly no end to it,” said Ramaswamy Krishnan, secretary of the Marathon Maxima residential society. Pointing to congestion near Sonapur junction, he added, “This junction is already heavy on traffic, and the work has been underway for too long. We wish that the civic authorities would clear out at least this patch speedily.” Emphasising pedestrian safety, Krishnan said, “The authorities need to think about pedestrian movement now itself. If they have to dig for a subway, now is the time.”
Further along the corridor, residents report frequent power cuts lasting several hours each week. At a residential building in Mulund Colony, 81-year-old Venkatraman Iyer said the outages have made daily life difficult. “We do not have a [power] backup for the lift, and the power cuts have been difficult for senior citizens like myself… My son finds it difficult to work from home when there are power cuts in the evening,” he told Mid-Day.
Other residents echoed similar concerns. Keziya Fernandes highlighted elevator failures, cooking disruptions, and safety worries for children, while Ramdas Patil from Hoechst Quarters said, “The GMLR work has led to air and dust pollution all around the area, and many of our neighbours keep falling ill due to respiratory conditions.”
Responding to complaints, MSEDCL said no formal grievances had been registered and suggested possible internal wiring issues. Mahanagar Gas Limited stated that gas supply stoppages are temporary safety measures during road work. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation said pollution is being controlled using anti-smog guns, water sprinkling, and green covers, adding that a proposed cable-stayed bridge at Sonapur junction is expected to be completed by December 2026, with parts of the Mulund flyover likely to open earlier.
