The Airoli Kalwa elevated railway project is facing setbacks as the residents are refusing to move to alternate accommodation, which is being provided by authorities.
On the private land parcel, there are over 1,000 slums, who are refusing to part with their property for the project and shift to another location, said a senior official from the Mumbai Rail Vikas Corporation (MRVC).
Official exclaimed that they have been given alternate houses at Balkum in Thane. The new houses are at 2-3 km radius from the existing location. However, these slum dwellers have refused to shift over, demanding that they should be given houses at the same location, which is difficult.
With this, the project has come to standstill as nothing can be done until the land is not vacated. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has been given the task of resettlement and rehabilitation of slum dwellers by the state government of Maharashtra.
For those unversed, the Airoli Kalwa elevated corridor is being planned to provide direct train services from Vashi-Belapur to the Kalyan side.
The proposed line will also help decongest Thane station as many commuters from Kalyan and beyond are forced to change trains at Thane station if they have to travel to Navi Mumbai.
The project was first announced in 2014 at an estimated cost of INR 420 crore.
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