Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is set to provide new rehabilitation housing to families displaced by the construction of the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road project (GMLR), a major infrastructure initiative aimed at improving east–west connectivity in Mumbai. According to civic officials, the first batch of flats for project-affected persons (PAPs) is expected to be ready by the end of March 2026, marking an important step in both the resettlement process and the progress of the large-scale road project.

The BMC plans to hand over 252 rehabilitation flats to families who were displaced during the initial phases of land acquisition for the GMLR project. These apartments have been developed at a housing complex in Kanjurmarg, where the civic body is constructing multiple buildings specifically for PAP rehabilitation. Each flat will measure approximately 300 square feet, designed to provide essential living facilities such as a living area, kitchen space, bedroom area, and an attached bathroom.

The flats are part of a larger rehabilitation development where the BMC is constructing 906 residential units across seven high-rise buildings. These towers are planned to rise up to around 23 storeys, and the project has been built on a land parcel of roughly 10,000 square metres. Officials have indicated that two of the buildings are almost ready for occupancy, while the remaining structures are in the final stages of construction and are expected to be completed in the coming months.

The rehabilitation housing initiative is closely tied to the progress of the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road project, which is considered one of Mumbai’s most important upcoming transport corridors. Once completed, the 12.2-kilometre road will create a direct east–west connection between the Western Express Highway and the Eastern Express Highway, two of the city’s busiest arterial routes. This connection is expected to significantly ease congestion and improve travel efficiency for commuters moving across suburban Mumbai.

Currently, travelling between Goregaon in the western suburbs and Mulund in the eastern suburbs can take more than an hour due to heavy traffic and the lack of direct road connectivity. The GMLR project aims to reduce this travel time to approximately 25 minutes, offering a faster and more convenient route across the city.

A major component of the project includes the construction of underground tunnels through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park area, which will help preserve surface green cover while enabling the road alignment to pass through the region. The tunnel work is expected to begin later in 2026, with tunnel boring machines (TBMs) likely to be deployed for excavation.

Infrastructure experts note that timely rehabilitation of project-affected residents is crucial for the smooth execution of large urban infrastructure developments. By providing permanent housing to displaced families, the civic body can move forward with land clearance and construction activities without significant delays.

The handover of the first 252 flats represents an important milestone for both the rehabilitation programme and the larger infrastructure project. As more buildings in the Kanjurmarg complex are completed, additional families affected by the GMLR project will also be relocated to the new housing facilities.

Once finished, the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road is expected to play a transformative role in Mumbai’s transport network by reducing travel time, easing congestion, and improving connectivity between the eastern and western suburbs.