The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has directed the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) to vacate the identified slum areas by December, enabling construction to begin early next year.
Senior officials from the SRA confirmed that the verification of eligible slum residents has been completed, and the MMRDA has already transferred funds covering two years of rent to support the relocation process, according to a report by Loksatta.
The MMRDA plans to develop a 12.96-kilometre-long, 40-metre-wide Eastern Freeway at an estimated cost of Rs 26.62 billion. The project, awarded to Navyug Engineering, aims to significantly cut travel time between Ghatkopar and Thane while easing chronic traffic congestion across Mumbai’s eastern suburbs.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, recently laid the foundation stone for the freeway project. The rehabilitation of more than 4,000 slum households has already begun under the first phase.
Authorities expect the removal of 1,694 slums in the second phase to commence in December, after which the land will be handed over to the MMRDA. The main expansion work is projected to start in early 2026 and be completed within four years. Once finished, the Thane–Ghatkopar journey is expected to become smoother, faster, and more efficient, officials said.
