Garib Nagar demolition work 100% complete, fencing work underway: Western Rly

On the fifth and final day of the anti-encroachment operation, the Western Railway announced that it had completed “100%” demolition of structures standing on railway land earmarked for infrastructure expansion and capacity augmentation work linked to the Bandra Terminus project

MUMBAI: Against the backdrop of flattened homes and twisted metal sheets at Garib Nagar in Bandra East, some families on Saturday spent the day gathering whatever little they could salvage from the debris after a five-day demolition drive by the Western Railway left around 500 hutments in ruins days before Eid.

iiiMumbai, India - May 23, 2026: Western Railway launched a massive, multi-day anti-encroachment drive in Bandra's Garib Nagar slum to clear hundreds of unauthorised structures for Bandra Terminus expansion. As part of the clearance, railway authorities identified and spared 100 legally protected huts whose residents were verified in a 2021 survey in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

On the fifth and final day of the anti-encroachment operation, the Western Railway announced that it had completed “100%” demolition of structures standing on railway land earmarked for infrastructure expansion and capacity augmentation work linked to the Bandra Terminus project.

But even as railway officials spoke of fencing, barricading and concretisation work beginning near the cleared stretch, the mood on the site remained grim, which would usually be festive before Eid. Under the harsh May sun, families loaded mattresses, utensils and clothes onto tempos and handcarts, searching for temporary shelter after watching homes built over decades collapse into dust.

For many residents, the timing of the demolition, barely days before Eid, expected around May 27, has deepened the sense of loss.

The demolition drive began on May 19 across the settlement adjoining the railway tracks. Railway officials said that while most structures had been razed, portions of upper floors of around 100 structures identified as eligible for rehabilitation were still being cleared.

Vineet Abhishek, chief public relations officer of the Western Railway, said it would take another two to four days to fully clear these portions. He added that anti-encroachment drives on railway land would continue in the future as part of ongoing railway infrastructure work.

According to railway officials, debris generated during the operation has temporarily been dumped on nearby marshy land and will later be shifted to designated dumping grounds. Authorities have also started fencing and barricading work in the cleared area.

A senior railway official said the approximately 100 structures protected under court orders would not be completely demolished until the rehabilitation process begins. The official said a meeting involving railway authorities, the state government and residents is expected to take place regarding rehabilitation arrangements, after which eligible families would be shifted before the remaining portions are removed.

Abhishek said the rehabilitation eligibility list was determined through multiple surveys conducted over the years by various agencies and NGOs and later examined during court proceedings.

Yet even residents whose homes were categorised as “legal” said daily life had become nearly impossible. “Every day at 9am, we are asked to vacate and can return only by 8 pm. There is so much debris that we cannot even enter our homes. In this sweltering May heat, we are forced to stay under the foot overbridge with electricity and water connections disconnected. Going home feels like entering a furnace. How is our life any different from those whose homes were declared illegal?” said Syed Rizwan, one of the residents whose structure has not been fully demolished.

Railway officials said electricity and water supply disconnected during the operation would be restored after work in the area is completed. The drive, involving around 1,200 personnel, remained largely peaceful except for incidents of stone-pelting on Wednesday following the demolition of a place of worship, in which 10 persons, including policemen, were injured.