Wire Centre │Mumbai

Kalyan–Badlapur Third and Fourth Rail Line Project.

MRVC encroachments have come to light through an RTI filed by activist Anil Galgali, revealing 1,574 unauthorized structures identified across two major Mumbai rail projects. These include huts and other structures built on railway land as well as newly acquired land. Of these, 620 encroachments have been removed so far, while approximately 9,668 square meters of land was found encroached. MRVC also stated that since each encroachment occurred in a different year, it is not possible to attribute them to any single year. The identified encroachments are located between Kalyan and Badlapur railway stations.

Airoli–Kalwa Elevated Corridor Project.

During land acquisition for the Airoli–Kalwa elevated corridor project, 868 encroachments were identified, including structures built on railway land and newly acquired land. So far, 378 encroachments have been removed, while approximately 7,400 square meters of land was found under encroachment. These encroachments are located between Digha village and Kalwa station. MRVC clarified here too that all encroachments occurred in different years.

 

No Data on Re-Encroachment; Anil Galgali’s Concerns.

The RTI application also asked how many locations saw re-encroachment after removal, to which MRVC responded that the relevant information is not available (N.A.). RTI activist Anil Galgali said encroachment has become a serious challenge for Mumbai’s rail projects, contributing significantly to project delays, cost escalation, and additional burden on public funds. He said removing encroachments alone is not enough — Railways and MRVC must ensure that cleared locations are not re-occupied, which requires regular monitoring, security arrangements, and fixed accountability. Galgali also demanded that information related to land acquisition, encroachment, rehabilitation, and removal progress for all rail projects be made available periodically on a public portal to increase transparency and give citizens accurate information about the real situation. He added that land availability is extremely critical for Mumbai’s rapidly expanding rail network, and that if encroachment is not effectively controlled, many future public transport projects could be affected — making coordinated, permanent solutions from the government, Railways, and local administration essential

 

(Information provided by MRVC to RTI activist Anil Galgali on July 14, 2026, under the Right to Information Act, 2005.)