Mumbai’s Metro Line 6 project has achieved significant construction progress, but unresolved land acquisition issues at three critical locations continue to pose challenges to its planned commissioning in 2027.
The 15.3-kilometre metro corridor, which will connect Swami Samarth Nagar in Jogeshwari with Vikhroli, has reached nearly 88 per cent physical completion. However, key components of the project remain stalled due to pending land-related disputes involving the proposed Shyam Nagar station, an incomplete viaduct segment at the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR)-Eastern Express Highway (EEH) junction in Kanjurmarg, and the planned metro depot at Kanjurmarg.
Officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) said efforts to secure land at all three sites have been underway for more than three years.
At Shyam Nagar, the viaduct and platform structures have already been constructed, but work on the station building itself cannot begin until land acquisition approvals are cleared by the state government.
“Three years ago, when we began the process of land acquisition, we learnt the land falls under a no-development zone (NDZ). As the two owners of the plot were agreeable to the land acquisition at the time, we sent a proposal to the state government to dereserve around 5,000 sqm of the plot,” an MMRDA official said.
The proposal was later rejected, with the government directing MMRDA to acquire only the minimum land required for the station. The authority subsequently revised its plans and initiated compulsory acquisition proceedings under Section 32 of the MMRDA Act, 1974.
“The proposal was sent to the state government in late April and is in the final stages of approval. We are awaiting the Urban Development Department’s notification,” the official said.
Complicating matters further, a 350-square-metre parcel designated for a station entry and exit point is currently occupied by slums that will need to be relocated before construction can proceed.
Another major obstacle lies at the JVLR-EEH junction in Kanjurmarg, where a crucial section of the metro viaduct remains incomplete. Around 1,700 square metres of land is required to construct eight pillars that will support an important curve in the alignment. The plot has been tied up in a long-running ownership dispute for decades.
The land, originally owned by the state government and leased to Jolly Board Private Limited, has been under litigation since a court ordered status quo in 1997, effectively halting any development activity on the site.
Despite the ongoing legal proceedings, MMRDA secured advance possession of the land from the state revenue department in May after nearly two years of administrative efforts. However, the authority must still obtain court permission before commencing work.
“To ensure the MMRDA is not stepping over the authority of the court, the authority has approached the court for permission to begin construction even as the case continues. Whenever a judgement is pronounced, if Jolly Board needs to be paid compensation on the basis of the judgement, the authority will do so. But let not a pending judgement block the construction of a crucial public infrastructure project,” the official said.
With most of the corridor already built, the resolution of these land disputes is likely to play a decisive role in determining whether Metro Line 6 can meet its 2027 operational deadline.
Source: The Indian Express
