Three missing links: Can Metro Line 6 still meet its 2027 deadline?

Mumbai’s Metro Line 6 corridor may be nearing completion, but three unresolved land acquisition disputes continue to cast a shadow over its planned 2027 opening.

The 15.3-km east-west metro line connecting Swami Samarth Nagar in Jogeshwari to Vikhroli has achieved 88 per cent physical progress. Yet critical work remains stalled at three locations the proposed Shyam Nagar station in Jogeshwari, a missing viaduct section at the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR)-Eastern Express Highway (EEH) junction in Kanjurmarg, and the Metro Line 6 depot at Kanjurmarg.

According to officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), land acquisition efforts at all three locations have been ongoing for at least three years.

At Shyam Nagar, the viaduct and platform structures are already in place, but construction of the station itself has not begun because land acquisition approvals are still pending with 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 rejected, with the government directing the authority to acquire and dereserve only the minimum area required for the station around 1,350 sqm.

While about 1,000 sqm is required for the station building, another 350 sqm is needed across the road for an entry-exit point. However, when the authority approached the landowners again with a revised proposal, it received no response.

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The MMRDA subsequently 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.

The 350-sqm parcel earmarked for the station access point is also encroached upon by slums, which will have to be cleared before construction can begin.

A second bottleneck lies at the busy JVLR-EEH junction in Kanjurmarg, where a section of the viaduct remains conspicuously incomplete.

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Around 1,700 sqm of land is required for eight pillars that form a crucial curve in the alignment. The land has been locked in litigation for decades.

Originally owned by the state government and leased to Jolly Board Private Limited, the plot has been the subject of multiple ownership disputes. In 1997, a court ordered status quo on the land, effectively freezing any development until the ownership issue is resolved.

Even as the legal battle continues, the MMRDA spent nearly two years pursuing administrative approvals and, in May, received advance possession of the land from the state’s revenue department. The permission, however, came with a condition that no action violating court orders could be undertaken.

“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.

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The authority had sought urgent hearings in two pending cases linked to the land. Hearings were scheduled on June 12 and June 17, but neither matter was taken up.

The third and perhaps most significant hurdle is the proposed Kanjurmarg depot.

In March this year, a long-running dispute involving the state government, the Centre and a private developer over the Kanjurmarg salt-pan land was resolved. However, the MMRDA is yet to receive physical possession of the land from the central government, preventing any work on the depot from beginning.

Officials said the absence of a full-fledged depot will not stop the line from commencing operations. The authority plans to use stabilising lines that will allow basic maintenance and cleaning activities on the tracks themselves. However, this arrangement is likely to affect operational efficiency and result in longer intervals between trains.

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Despite the unresolved land issues, MMRDA officials insist the project remains on track.

“Work on clearing the land acquisition issues is on a fast track. The pending portions will be completed within time, as they will take a maximum of six months to construct,” a senior official said.