A massive demolition drive in Mumbai’s Garib Nagar near Bandra station has sparked chaos, outrage and violent clashes as hundreds of shanties are being razed for the Western Railway’s Bandra Terminus expansion project. Authorities say the operation is necessary to increase the station’s operational capacity, but residents claim the drive has turned into a humanitarian crisis. The demolition began after a Bombay High Court order and has already led to the arrest of 19 people following clashes between locals and authorities. Around 500 structures are being cleared as part of the railway redevelopment project.

A massive demolition drive has begun in Garib Nagar near Bandra Terminus after the Bombay High Court allowed Western Railway to clear unauthorised structures from railway land. The operation, expected to continue for five days, has seen bulldozers move into the densely populated area under heavy security deployment. Nearly 400 personnel, including Mumbai Police, RPF and GRP teams, have been deployed amid fears of protests and crowd mobilisation. Authorities say the cleared land will be used for expansion of Bandra Terminus, better suburban connectivity and the addition of nearly 50 new originating train services from Mumbai. The High Court also directed officials to protect the rights of slum dwellers found eligible for rehabilitation under the 2021 surveys.