Over 1,800% increase in rent paid to Metro 3 PAPs: RTI response

Mumbai: The transit rent paid to 576 project affected persons (PAPs) of Mumbai Metro 3 from the Girgaon-Kalbadevi area has increased by over 1,800% since 2017, when the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC), which owns and operates the metro 3 corridor, made the first payments. The information was unearthed via a Right to Information (RTI) application filed by a south Mumbai resident. But metro rail officials clarified that the hike appeared massive because only a handful of PAPs were evicted from their earlier premises in 2017 and most PAPs were moved out in later years, leading to a rise in the overall payment of transit rents.
The 33.5-km Mumbai Metro 3 corridor, also known as the aqua line, is nearing completion and passenger operations are likely to commence soon between Aarey and Bandra Kurla Complex. Out of 617 project-affected families residing in 28 buildings in the Girgaon-Kalbadevi area, 576 opted for transit rent, shows the response to an RTI application filed by Jeetendra Ghadge. In 2017-18, MMRC paid a total of ₹2.38 crore as transit rent, which swelled to ₹46.39 crore in 2023-24 – an increase of 1,843.29%, the RTI response further shows.
“Saying that the transit rent rose by over 1,800% is misleading,” said an MMRC official, requesting anonymity. In 2017-18, the official clarified, only a few of the PAPs were shifted out of their accommodations; as the construction progressed in later years, the number of PAPs also increased, which resulted in a hike in the rent paid to affected families. “Rental agreements between MMRC and PAPs have a clause for 10% hike in transit rent per annum. So it is impossible to have an over 1,800% increase in just seven years,” the official clarified. “The increase is not more than 10% year-on-year,” he added.
The RTI response also showed that among the three buildings where PAPs would be permanently rehabilitated, one building will be ready in July 2025, another in November 2026 while the deadline for the third building is yet to be firmed up as the tendering process is underway.
“MMRC needs to streamline its processes and prevent further delays or else this project will continue to drain public resources with no clear end in sight,” Ghadge told HT. But MMRC officials clarified that buildings for rehabilitation cannot be constructed while tunnelling work is underway.
The project cost for Metro 3, whose ground-breaking ceremony was held a decade back, has also escalated by ₹14,140 crore or 61.11% from ₹23,136 crore to ₹37,276 crore.