MMRDA Begins Land Acquisition in Uttan for Sea Link Project
On Wednesday, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) initiated the land acquisition process in Uttan village for the entry and exit connectors of the Mumbai-Vadhavan Expressway Corridor. The authority issued a public notice identifying over 104 hectares of land in the locality, sparking fresh concerns among local residents who recently blocked a metro car depot project in the same area.
According to the public notice issued by MMRDA official Ajinkya Padwal, a total of 104.285 hectares in Uttan has been identified as partly or wholly required for the project. Out of this, nearly 20.2 hectares across more than 600 survey numbers are earmarked for acquisition to build the connectors.
Landowners, tenants, and other interested parties have been given 15 days to submit their written consent for acquisition through private negotiations. The consent must be submitted to the office of the Deputy Collector, Land Acquisition & Rehabilitation, MMRDA. The authority stated that if private negotiations fail, it will proceed with compulsory acquisition and compensation.
The Maharashtra government has declared the Mumbai-Vadhavan Expressway Corridor an "ambitious urban transport project" and a "vital public project," making it eligible for land acquisition for public urban transport purposes. The corridor is a 120-kilometre access-controlled coastal route designed to connect South Mumbai to Vadhavan near Dahanu in Palghar district.
At present, the MMRDA is focusing on the Uttan-Virar Sea Link phase of the corridor. The state government approved this 55.12-kilometre phase on November 25, 2025, after the MMRDA submitted the proposal in January. The estimated cost of the Uttan-Virar Sea Link is Rs 87,400 crore.
The project will feature an eight-lane main sea link spanning 24.35 kilometres, alongside three six-lane connectors totalling 30.77 kilometres. These include the 9.32-kilometre Uttan connector, the 2.5-kilometre Vasai connector, and the 18.95-kilometre Virar connector. Interchanges are planned at Uttan, Vasai, and Virar, along with a 1.2-kilometre tunnel near Arnala Fort in Virar.
The acquisition notice has raised fresh concerns among Uttan residents. This development comes less than a year after locals successfully opposed a proposal to build the Mumbai Metro 9 car depot in Dongri, Uttan, forcing the MMRDA to shelve the plan in November 2025 and move the depot to Charkop.
Sharmila Bagaji, a Shiv Sena corporator from the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation, criticized the lack of direct communication. Bagaji stated that none of the affected owners received direct notices despite the MMRDA having a list of plots. She added that the alignment impacts local homes and suggested that authorities should have planned the route on barren land.
