MUMBAI, April 25 -- Residents of Haji Noorani Chawl, the second of two buildings required at Elphinstone for the construction of the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor received a reprieve on Friday after the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) did not push them to vacate their premises. While the families have sought a month's extension, MMRDA authorities have rescheduled their eviction by a week. On Tuesday, MMRDA issued a notice to Haji Noorani Chawl residents, requiring them to vacate the building by Friday. The notice also stated that MMRDA intends to initiate demolition starting April 27. "Though we were issued an eviction order to vacate our homes, the ground reality is that some people have not got possession of the new accommodation," said Munaf Thakur, a second floor resident of Haji Noorani Chawl. In all, eight residents from the building are yet to move out. A couple of them are yet to be handed possession of the new flats. Residents claim that upon visiting the new residences in the Prabhadevi area, they were shocked to find leakages that need attention. "We are being asked to take possession of such homes, where repairs were not carried out. Ideally, a family would prefer to fix the issues and repaint the interior before moving in. MMRDA should take this into account and grant us a month's extension to vacate our existing premises," Thakur added. Apart from seepage, the building has a non-operational elevator and lacks a water connection. Regarding the extension request and the concerns raised by the project affected families, an MMRDA official told the Hindustan Times that they have initiated the process of addressing these issues. Possibly next week, the new flats will get repaired. Of the eight families, two have yet to make payment to MMRDA for the new homes. For example, families eligible for a 405 sq ft new home were allotted bigger flats. MMRDA has asked the families to pay for the difference in the carpet area, which amounts to as much as Rs.25 lakh. Demolition of Laxmi Sadan, one of the two buildings required for constructing the Sewri - Worli Elevated Corridor, commenced on March 27 and continues. This is expected to be through in another fortnight. Acquisition of these two buildings witnessed intense drama over the past year. During this time, residents prevented the project's implementing agency, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), from shutting down the Elphinstone Road flyover in April 2025. Eventually, the bridge became off limits to traffic starting September 12, 2025. MMRDA's initial plan was to acquire 19 buildings outside Elphinstone Road station to create space for the infrastructure project's pillars. This was later trimmed to two buildings - Laxmi Sadan and Haji Noorani Chawl. During the second half of 2024, the design altered, necessitating the acquisition of two buildings. This change also reduced the rehabilitation cost for MMRDA from Rs.5,200 crore to Rs.110 crore, limiting project affected families to 83, 60 from Laxmi Sadan and 23 from Haji Noorani Chawl. Both the structures are needed to erect pillars for the double decker bridge at this stretch of the Sewri - Worli Elevated Corridor. Last year, MMRDA had announced a deadline of December 2026 to ready the double decker flyover of the larger 4.5 km project that promises to improve east-west connectivity in this part of Mumbai. The plan is to directly link the Bandra-Worli Sea Link with Atal Setu, costing Rs.1,051.86 crore, to trim travel time....