A growing wave of public discontent has erupted in Goregaon following the municipal administration’s controversial proposal to demolish the Veer Savarkar Flyover—an essential east-west connector built just seven years ago at a cost of ₹27 crore. The structure, still in active use, may be razed to make way for the upcoming Versova-Dahisar Coastal Road Phase II project, triggering sharp criticism from local communities, civic groups, and former elected representatives.
The flyover, popularly known as the MTNL Flyover, was inaugurated in 2018 after a decade-long demand by citizens seeking to ease traffic congestion between Goregaon West and East. Located strategically near the Western Express Highway (WEH), the flyover has reduced travel times from 45 minutes to under 10 for thousands of daily commuters. Now, its proposed demolition is being labelled by locals as wasteful, short-sighted, and emblematic of flawed civic planning. According to civic officials, the decision stems from an integrated infrastructure upgrade that aims to link the Versova-Dahisar Coastal Road corridor with the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR). When the flyover was originally conceptualised, these transport corridors were independent projects. However, under the revised masterplan, the BMC intends to enable seamless east-west and north-south vehicular movement—necessitating the flyover’s removal to construct a new double-decker structure.
While authorities claim that alternate engineering options were explored over the past eight months, residents and urban observers argue that the sudden need to demolish a recently-built flyover indicates glaring lapses in urban foresight and inter-departmental coordination. Activists allege a systemic failure in project synchronisation and question why the overlapping infrastructure requirements weren’t anticipated during earlier phases of planning. Several former corporators and civil society organisations have called for the plan to be scrapped, even threatening legal intervention if demolition proceeds. Critics say the absence of a functioning elected civic council or statutory planning committees has allowed arbitrary decisions to go unchecked, with taxpayers bearing the brunt of wasteful expenditure.
A civic official involved with the project defended the proposal, stating that a double-decker flyover—integrated with the coastal road, tunnels, and interchanges—would serve a broader commuter base and improve long-term connectivity across Mumbai’s west and central suburbs. Preparatory civil works, including machinery mobilisation and casting yard development, are expected to begin in early September, with tunnel boring operations commencing next year. Still, the larger debate continues over whether infrastructure modernisation should come at the cost of demolishing functional public assets. With increasing emphasis on sustainable urban development, planners and citizens alike are demanding accountability in the city’s infrastructure lifecycle—especially where it intersects with public funds, traffic management, and long-term resilience.
For now, the fate of the Goregaon flyover remains in limbo, as the civic administration awaits final administrative approval for demolition. Whether it proceeds or is revised may well set a precedent for how Mumbai balances progress with preservation in the years ahead.
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