A large-scale demolition and anti-encroachment drive started on Tuesday morning at Garib Nagar near Bandra East railway station in Mumbai. This occurred days after the Bombay High Court allowed Western Railway to clear alleged illegal structures on railway land.
Mumbai Railway Demolishes Slum Encroachments in Bandra
The operation is expected to last until May 23. Heavy police and railway security presence established in the area due to tensions and protests from residents.
Visuals shared on X showed bulldozers moving into the narrow lanes of the densely populated settlement. Teams from Western Railway, civic authorities, and security agencies began tearing down structures marked for demolition.
Western Railway reported that the anti-encroachment drive is taking place with help from the civic administration, Mumbai Police, Railway Protection Force (RPF), and Government Railway Police (GRP) to keep order during the operation.
Officials noted that around 400 personnel deployed in and around Garib Nagar for the drive. Emergency response teams, including ambulances, fire brigades, and barricading units stationed at key locations due to concerns about crowding.
Slum clearance linked to Western Railway expansion project
The demolition follows an April 29 order from the Bombay High Court, which allowed Western Railway to proceed with the removal of unauthorized structures in the area. However, the court also instructed authorities to protect the rights of slum dwellers who deemed eligible for rehabilitation under surveys conducted in August 2021.
This clearance operation linked to Western Railway’s long-awaited project to expand the fifth and sixth railway lines between Santacruz and Mumbai Central. Railway officials insist that the expansion is crucial to reduce congestion on Mumbai’s suburban railway network and improve train flow on one of the busiest corridors in the country.
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