Mumbai: Bandra's Garib Nagar Demolition Enters Day 3; Railway Pushes Station Expansion Amid Tension, Protests

Mumbai: A massive demolition drive at Garib Nagar in Mumbai entered its third consecutive day on Thursday, with authorities continuing to remove alleged illegal encroachments near Bandra Terminus amid heavy police deployment, protests by residents and tense scenes on the ground.

The anti-encroachment operation, being carried out by Western Railway in Bandra East, is aimed at clearing land required for the expansion of Bandra Terminus and other major railway infrastructure projects.

60 Per Cent Demolition Done, Rest To Be Completed By May 23

Officials confirmed that nearly 60 per cent of the demolition work had been completed by the end of the second day, while the remaining structures are expected to be cleared by May 23.

Thousands of residents living in the area expressed anguish over the action, with emotional scenes unfolding as homes and structures were demolished. For some time, tensions escalated at the site when local residents started stone-pelting at authorities, forcing police personnel to intervene with lathi-charge and bring the situation under control.

Railway authorities, however, maintained that the encroachments had been removed multiple times over the years, but occupants repeatedly returned and rebuilt structures on the railway land.

What After Demolition?

Once the demolition process is completed, the first step would be to secure the nearly 5,300 square metre plot by erecting fencing around the cleared land.

The railway administration plans to use the land for the eastern expansion of Bandra Terminus over the coming years. The project includes increasing the number of platforms and expanding passenger infrastructure to accommodate growing rail traffic.

At present, around 22 mail and express trains originate from Bandra Terminus. Railway officials said the number is expected to rise by nearly 50 per cent in the coming years as part of plans to introduce around 50 new mail and express services on the Western Railway network in Mumbai.

Vineet Abhishek said the railway administration succeeded in clearing the encroachments after a prolonged legal process spanning several years. The demolition is also expected to accelerate work on the proposed fifth and sixth railway lines between Santacruz railway station and Mumbai Central railway station.

The additional corridors would help separate suburban local train operations from long-distance mail and express services, thereby easing congestion on the busy Western Railway network.

The clearance is also expected to aid connectivity for the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor, as some of the demolished structures were located along the proposed access route towards the bullet train station planned near Bandra Kurla Complex.

Over 400 Structures To Be Razed

Authorities confirmed that over 400 structures are being demolished as part of the drive. According to railway officials, baseline surveys conducted on August 10 and 11, 2021 identified only around 100 residents as eligible for rehabilitation. Officials claimed these residents had either already been provided alternative accommodation by the state government or would receive it shortly.

However, several other families declared ineligible for rehabilitation alleged that they had been living in the area for nearly four decades and accused authorities of injustice, pointing out that many had voter identity documents and had participated in elections for years.

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