The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has initiated a major road-widening drive along S V Road in Andheri West, aiming to address chronic traffic congestion in the western suburbs. The project covers a nearly 3-km stretch between J P Road and the Oshiwara River and involves the removal or relocation of 502 structures.
The initiative is being implemented in three phases under the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR 33(12B)) bottleneck policy. The first phase, which spans from J P Road junction to Caesar Road junction, includes 196 affected structures and is largely complete, with only a few pending removals.
A civic official from the K West ward highlighted that several property owners cooperated by voluntarily shifting portions of their structures. “We have undertaken the widening of S V Road in Andheri near the Versova-Ghatkopar metro line, called the J P Road junction, up to the Ceasar Road junction, where 196 structures were affected,” said the official. “This took two seasons. We demolished 45 structures before the monsoon last year, and the remaining ones after the monsoon. We had marked the road line. Rather than the BMC demolishing all the structures, we asked the owners to demolish the structures beyond the road line themselves. Fifty-five structures were moved on their own. The shifting process is still going on.”
The second phase will involve 119 structures between Caesar Road and Farukh High School near Kevni Pada, while the third phase will extend up to the Oshiwara River, affecting 215 structures.
S V Road, a key arterial route connecting Bandra to Dahisar, is heavily lined with commercial establishments, many of which include unauthorised extensions that contribute to bottlenecks. Once completed, officials expect commute time along this stretch to reduce from around 35 minutes to 15 minutes.
Calling it a major civic project, K West ward assistant commissioner Chakrapani Alle said, “More than 500 structures are involved. But we have decided to finish all three phases of the road-widening by this December. Phase 1 saw no rehabilitation, as all the structures were unauthorised. Eligibility has not been finalised for Phase 2, but as per the bottleneck policy, the affected parties will be rehabilitated under the Kurar pattern or given alternate accommodation or monetary compensation.”
Source: Hindustan Times
