Land Disputes in Shyam Nagar and Kanjurmarg Threaten Mumbai Metro Line 6 Deadline
The construction of Mumbai’s Metro Line 6 has reached 88 percent completion, but unresolved land disputes in Shyam Nagar and Kanjurmarg threaten to delay the project's scheduled 2027 opening. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) is currently struggling to acquire critical land parcels at these locations to complete the 15.3-kilometre east-west corridor, which connects Swami Samarth Nagar in Jogeshwari to Vikhroli.
According to MMRDA officials, land acquisition efforts at three key locations have been ongoing for at least three years. The unresolved areas include the proposed Shyam Nagar station in Jogeshwari, a missing viaduct section at the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road (JVLR) and Eastern Express Highway (EEH) junction in Kanjurmarg, and the Metro Line 6 depot site in Kanjurmarg.
At Shyam Nagar, the viaduct and platform structures are already in place, but construction of the actual station building has not yet begun. The MMRDA requires approximately 1,350 square metres of land, which includes 1,000 square metres for the station and 350 square metres across the road for an entry-exit point.
Because the land falls under a no-development zone, the MMRDA initially proposed dereserving 5,000 square metres. After the state government rejected this and directed the authority to acquire only the minimum required area, the landowners stopped responding to the revised proposal.
Consequently, the MMRDA 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 awaiting final notification from the Urban Development Department. Furthermore, the 350-square-metre portion earmarked for the entry-exit point is currently encroached upon by slums that must be cleared.
Meanwhile, at the JVLR-EEH junction in Kanjurmarg, a section of the viaduct remains incomplete because 1,700 square metres of land is needed for eight pillars. This land, leased to Jolly Board Private Limited, has been locked in ownership litigation since 1997, with a court-ordered status quo. While the MMRDA secured advance possession from the state revenue department in May, it must proceed without violating the court's orders.
