MUMBAI: In a major infrastructure push, the BMC’s P North ward has initiated the demolition of approximately 357 slum structures in Valnai near the Mith Chowky metro junction in Malad West.
The move is part of a broader road-widening project under the civic body’s ‘bottleneck policy’, aimed at improving east-west connectivity in the region.
So far, 245 of the targeted 357 structures have been cleared to pave the way for the construction of a long-planned 18.3-meter-wide Development Plan (DP) road along Shankar Lane. This road will reduce traffic congestion and improve access between key thoroughfares in the western suburbs.
Currently, east-bound commuters in Malad rely heavily on the Malad subway and Datta Mandir Road to access the Western Express Highway (WEH). These routes are often heavily congested. The new road, once completed, will offer a parallel route to Marve Road, connecting S V Road and Link Road with the WEH, thereby easing the traffic load on existing routes.
Kundan Valvi, assistant municipal commissioner of P North ward, said that currently the area did not have a proper road due to the slum encroachments. “The road-widening work is being executed in three phases,” he said. “We have already completed the first two phases and the third one is underway.”
The first two phases covered a 200-metre stretch from Adarsh Lane to Gautam Buddha Road, where over 100 slum structures were demolished. Phase III, which extends from Gautam Buddha Road to Link Road, involves the removal of another 145 structures.
“We are following the BMC’s ‘bottleneck policy’ to eliminate narrow choke points and make for a smoother traffic flow,” Valvi added. “This road will serve as a much-needed parallel link to Marve Road and an alternative connection to the WEH.” The 18.3-metre DP road will help complete a critical missing link in the city’s road network.
Of the 357 encroachments, 293 are residential and 53 commercial. To pave the way for the first two phases of the extension of Shankar Lane to Gautam Buddha Road, the residents of 64 slum tenements were given keys to their new homes in the Slum Rehabilitation Authority’s permanent transit camp in Sairaj Guriyapada building, a 10-minute drive from their original addresses, in July.
Once operational, the Shankar Lane route is expected to significantly reduce congestion on the overburdened Malad subway and Marve Road, enhancing overall commute efficiency for residents traveling across the western suburbs. A missing 550-meter link in the extension of Shankar Lane to New Link Road, when constructed, will offer additional access from Malvani, Jankalyan Nagar and Lalji Pada to and from the WEH.