In a written complaint to the MMRDA, the Chief Minister's Office and Vakola police station, Pradeep Nambiar of Kalina-Vakola-Kurla Welfare Association has highlighted illegal shanties that have come up overnight.
Once an infrastructure project is announced, the immediate concern is displacement of the people living in the slums there. Many of these slums might have sprung up overnight to become 'victims' of development and there by claim the governmental benefits or compensation. Most often, questions on the number of years these slums have been existing there or whether they have mushroomed after the project was conceptualised are overlooked.
At Vakola in Santacruz, shanties have started sprouting after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) authorities announced plans to have an extension of Santacruz-Chembur Link Road (SCLR) between Kurla to Western Express Highway at Vakola. These shanties have come up in the recent past and are on the open plots precisely where pillars of elevated SCLR extension project will be erected.
On Thursday, when dna representatives visited the spot adjacent to University of Mumbai campus (at Shanti Nagar-Kalina bus stop) one more makeshift shelter was being put up. Once land acquisition commences for the project, if there are slums on a plot, the plot owner gets transferable development rights (TDR) to preserve their asset value. This TDR can be sold in realty market for a premium.
In a written complaint to the MMRDA, the Chief Minister's Office and Vakola police station, Pradeep Nambiar of Kalina-Vakola-Kurla Welfare Association has highlighted illegal shanties that have come up overnight.
When asked about location of plots that will be required to erect the pillars of SCLR Extension, Anil Wankhede, deputy metropolitan commissioner (lands and estate cell) with MMRDA confirmed that the open plots on Hans Burga Marg next to Univeristy of Mumbai too will be needed for the project. Among the plots needed for the project are also ones belonging to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
As per the plans for SCLR Extension project, there will be two lanes, one headed towards Kurla and the other towards Santacruz. The estimated price to erect the elevated road of around 4 kms is Rs 413.25 crore.
Motorists coming from Andheri will have to come on the existing Vakola Flyover on the Western Express Highway, where an arm will branch out towards Santacruz Chembur Link Road. Whereas those coming from Santacruz Railway Station East can take the entry ramp near Grand Hyatt Hotel entrance to be able to head to Chembur as well as Bandra Kurla Complex using the elevated road.
Once on the road, at Imam Ahmed Raza Chowk, a ramp will go straight and land outside Kapadia Nagar so that motorists can proceed on LBS Road or can head towards Lokmanya Tilak Terminus or Chembur. But at the Imam Ahmed Raza Junction, an arm of the elevated road will take a right turn to head towards MTNL Junction at Bandra Kurla Complex. At the MTNL Junction, the elevated arm will once again take a right turn to land on the arterial road of the business district.
Whereas those coming from LBS Road or Chembur will be able to take the entry ramp out Kapadia Nagar and go straight to Santacruz. Those motorists coming from Bandra Kurla Complex will have to take the elevated route which will start from near Café Gulshan. Once on the bridge, there will be two exit points, one near Grand Hyatt Hotel, while the other will go over the existing Vakola Flyover and get connected with the flyover so that motorists can proceed directly towards Andheri/ Borivali.
Presently, the MMRDA officials have opened the bids and it is likely that controversial infrastructure company J.Kumar is likely to bag it.
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