Why a Mumbai Metro line is waiting for one man in a crumbling building to move

A 23.643-kilometre elevated Metro line, costing Rs 10,986 crore, is awaiting clearance for one man and his crumbling building in Mumbai. The line, known as Line 2B, runs between Andheri and Khar. However, a 185-metre gap remains between DN Nagar and ESIC Nagar stations, where the new line will join the existing Line 2A. This 185-metre plot houses a man, in his mid-fifties, who has lived there since his childhood.

The building he resides in is one of two aging apartment blocks owned by the Juhu Gulmohar Cooperative Housing Society. In 2011, the society began preparing to tear down the old buildings and rebuild, but the Metro line's revised route now passes too close to the society's plot. The society sought clearance from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for the new alignment, but the court ruled the change unlawful, leading to an eight-year legal battle.

Meanwhile, the society attempted to resolve the issue through a land swap with MHADA, offering their plot for a garden in Tilak Udyan. However, the swap deal fell through twice before finally being sealed. The delay in resolving the 185-metre gap has thwarted Metro construction, leaving trains unable to run and commuters in Vile Parle, Santacruz, and Khar still waiting for the Metro to reach them.