The stranded Kalwa-Airoli rail project that will connect Kalyan and Navi Mumbai, directly avoiding Thane station, benefiting lakhs of commuters, may get delayed further with Jitendra Awhad, who represents the Mumbra-Kalwa Assembly segment, saying on Wednesday he had been blocking the project since 2017 and would continue to do so if the 3600 slum dwellers residing at the site are displaced.

“We are not against the project, but yes, we have stalled it since 2017, as the affected families are being rehabilitated at places like Thane and Waghbil. The families are my votebank. They are very poor, and after being displaced like this, they will be jobless. The Thane Municipal Corporation, after discussing the matter with the civic chief, sent me a letter on Tuesday seeking that a survey of the area be carried out. But we will not allow any survey to happen till every single family member gets a written assurance that they will be rehabilitated at the very same place,” Awhad said.