The BMC is confident that widening the Lal Bahadur Shastri (LBS) Road will be completed by the end of 2019. The project to widen the crucial LBS Road or Marg was finalised a decade ago but works began early this year.
The 21-km-long road, which connects Sion to Mulund, sees at least 1 lakh vehicles passing daily. Despite being the most important road in eastern suburbs, it is always congested due to encroachments. The project’s cost is Rs 400 crore.
Delay in the project followed after the project affected people (PAP) were unable find an alternate accommodation. There are around 2,000 structures, of which more than 70 per cent are eligible for rehabilitation, obstructing the proec. Most PAPs are occupants of commercial buildings.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Ranjit Dhakane, said, “It is the efforts of 10 years that BMC has come to a feasible decision to rehabilitate the PAPs. In Ghatkopar and Bhandup itself there are 585 and 490 structures respectively coming in the way of the project. We are now preparing an annexure for their rehabilitation. We are confident that the work will be completed in next one and half year”.
BMC, in its fiscal budget of 2018-19 has allocated Rs 110 crore for the LBS Road widening project. The road will be widened to 120 feet. It is currently 60-90 feet.
