Mumbai, Aug. 3 -- More than two years after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) approved construction of the 3.93-km Kasarvadavali-Kharbhav creek bridge, the project is languishing for want of land on either side of the Vasai creek, officials familiar with the matter told Hindustan Times. "The project requires around 26 hectares of land on the Kasarvadavli side and 6.86 hectares of land on the Kharbhav side. While land acquisition was to be completed within 12 months, no land has been acquired in the past two years," said a senior MMRDA official, requesting anonymity. Consequently, while construction of a bridge over the creek is underway, there has been no progress in work on either side, and the April 2028 deadline for completion is likely to be missed, the official said. The Kasarvadavali-Kharbhav creek bridge was approved on March 3, 2024, during the MMRDA's 156th authority meeting chaired by Eknath Shinde, then chief minister. In October 2024, the project - located in Shinde's home turf - was awarded to Afcons Infrastructure at a cost of Rs.1,552.77 crore, 6.83% higher than the MMRDA's estimate. The 3.93-km project includes a 1-km-long bridge over Vasai creek and a 40-metre wide road with four lanes in each direction. The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has been tasked with acquiring around 26 hectares on the Kasarvadavali side through the Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) mechanism. There are 37 land parcels on this side, including land owned by a BJP leader. So far, only notices have been served to the affected land owners, officials said. On the Kharbhav side, the Thane collector has been tasked with acquiring 6.86 hectares of land, divided into 12 land parcels. Only a joint measurement survey has been completed on this side so far and valuation of the properties is currently underway, officials said. Sources said a key factor behind the inordinate delay was the project's exclusion from the Chief Minister's War Room, which monitors progress of projects. However, Sanjay Mukherjee, Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA told HT that the project was on track and the April 2028 deadline would be met. "MMRDA is implementing the Kasarvadavli-Kharbhav creek bridge project as per the approved schedule, with the land acquisition process being undertaken by the Thane Municipal Corporation on the Kasarvadavli end and the Thane Collector's Office on the Kharbhav side, alongside parallel construction activities. Major statutory clearances have already been secured, key construction works including the navigational span have commenced, and the project continues to be closely monitored through MMRDA's established review mechanism. The project remains on track for scheduled completion in April 2028," Mukherjee said. At present, traffic between Thane and Bhiwandi moves through the Old Agra Road, Majiwada and the Mumbai-Nashik Highway via Kalwa, leading to vehicular congestion. The creek bridge will connect Ghodbunder Road in Thane to Kharbhav in Bhiwandi via the Chinchoti-Anjur Phata Road (State Highway 48), offering a direct alternative to existing routes and reducing the travel time between Thane and Bhiwandi....