20 May,2026 11:09 AM IST | Mumbai | Sarthak Mehta
Demolition work underway at Garib Nagar in Bandra East as authorities clear structures adjoining railway land. Pics/ATul Kamble
Hundreds of families in Garib Nagar, Bandra East, spent Tuesday surrounded by broken furniture, utensils and torn tin sheets as a massive demolition drive by Western Railway began beside Bandra station. Acting on Bombay High Court orders, authorities started razing what they termed "unauthorised encroachments" on railway land, even as several residents claimed they had lived there for decades and were either excluded from or unaware of rehabilitation surveys. By evening, large stretches near station road had been flattened, leaving families sitting in the open with bags, mattresses, and pets, days before Eid and weeks ahead of the monsoon.
Household items kept in the open after structures were cleared during the anti-encroachment drive near Bandra station
Location
>> Garib Nagar, Bandra East
>> Adjacent to Bandra suburban railway station
Timeline
>> May 19 to May 23
Structures affected
>> 500 huts to be demolished
>> 100 huts protected pending rehabilitation
Land details
>> Encroached area: 5200 sq m
A resident carries household belongings, including a gas cylinder, during the demolition drive at Garib Nagar
Agencies involved
>> Western Railway
>> Maharashtra Police
>> RPF
>> Railway Engineering (Construction) Department
Personnel deployed
>> Around 1000 officials
>> 400 police personnel
>> 600 WR and railway officials
>> Drive began around 11 am on Tuesday
>> Nearly 20 per cent work completed by 5 pm
>> Around 100 huts facing Station Road were demolished
>> Work expected to continue till 8 pm daily
>> According to railway officials, a 2021 survey conducted with assistance from MMRDA and local NGOs identified around 100 huts eligible for rehabilitation. These homes will not be demolished until alternate accommodation is provided.
>> However, several residents alleged they were either excluded from the survey or never informed about the eligibility process.
MD Akbar Shaikh, resident
âI am 48 now and have lived all my life here. I still don't understand how they decided we were ineligible while only 100 houses qualified. I don't remember any proper survey. My mother is sick, my child missed exams, and now our home is being demolished in front of us.'
Gulafsha, 32, resident
âMy family and I are homeless today. Even my pet cat got scared during the demolition, and I had to keep it in a cage. I spent my childhood here. We have nowhere to go and will stay on this ground until we get rehabilitation.'
Khushbu Naddaf, 28, a Mulund resident
âWe had heard demolition rumours for years, but nothing ever happened, so we believed this would remain our home. Now we are on the road with our children in this heat and have nowhere affordable to shift, especially with Eid this week.'
Mashroor Shaikh, 55, resident
âI was born here, and my father lived here before me. Every document we have - Aadhaar, voter ID - carries this address. Now I'm sitting beside my belongings with no clarity about my family's future and no assurance of rehabilitation'
MD Aslam, a Mulund resident
âBack then, this land was unusable marshland, but now suddenly they remember it belongs to them. Three generations of my family lived here for over four decades. I stood here all day just to watch my home till the last moment before it turned into rubble'
