The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has put on hold the eligibility of 19 alleged slum structures and one nursery near Mankhurd Metro station after a Loksatta report raised questions about fabricated documents used in a rehabilitation process linked to Metro Line 2B. The authority has also ordered an inquiry into all the affected occupants, according to the report.
The case concerns land near the Mankhurd Metro station where a pedestrian bridge was initially planned. Twenty-eight slum structures were expected to be affected by the bridge proposal. The bridge location was later changed and constructed on an open site, according to the report, removing the stated requirement for the original site.
A survey was conducted at the location on 17 June 2021. The report says the survey found that the land occupied by the structures was no longer required for the project and that the structures were therefore not surveyed as project-affected properties. It alleges that, after this, unidentified intermediaries worked with some MMRDA officials to prepare documents showing that the structures had been affected by the project.
The allegations also include the creation of false evidence showing that structures that did not exist had been demolished. These documents were allegedly submitted to MMRDA. The report says senior officials subsequently approved 19 alleged slum structures and one nursery without adequately verifying the claims.
The eligibility decision had potentially significant consequences because the occupants were reportedly being considered for homes in Goregaon. The report says the allotment process was moving ahead and that the beneficiaries could have received homes within days before the authority imposed the stay.
The episode highlights the administrative importance of project-affected-person surveys in large urban infrastructure projects. Such surveys determine who is entitled to rehabilitation, while eligibility decisions can create claims over formal housing even after project designs or land requirements change. In this case, the reported change in the pedestrian bridge location preceded the disputed eligibility process.
MMRDA’s inquiry will now examine the claims made by the occupants, the documents submitted to establish project impact and the role of officials involved in the verification and approval process. The authority’s order temporarily prevents the disputed cases from progressing while that examination is under way. The report does not provide details of the inquiry’s terms of reference or a completion deadline.
