Residents of Bandra Govt Colony slum protest against relocation

MUMBAI: Bandra East slum residents protest relocation to Malad, fearing loss of livelihoods and inadequate living conditions in new SRA buildings.

MUMBAI: On Sunday, the residents of a slum settlement in Government Colony, Bandra East, protested outside their residences against their relocation to a SRA (Slum Rehab) building in Appa Pada in Malad East. The alternative accommodation was allotted to them by the Public Works Department (PWD) after they were categorised as project-affected people who were in the way of the construction of a new Bombay high court building.

Mumbai, India - Feb. 9, 2025: The residents of slums in government colony Bandra have been allocated an area in Malad East for relocation, as the slums are to be demolished for the development of high court. The residents have sent out letters to ministers asking for a place in Bandra itself as their livelihoods and schools for kids are nearby in Mumbai, India, on Sunday, February 9, 2025. (Photo by Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

The residents of Gautam Samta Nagar, which is registered as a housing society, are worried about their livelihoods and future, as they have been ordered to vacate their houses by next month. The eligible families will be relocated to Appa Pada while the ineligible will have to fend for themselves.

There are two rows of dwellings, with 138 residential rooms, on the 2.15 acres of land in Gautam Nagar. Of these, 83 families have been declared eligible.

Vandana Ruke, a resident, said she earned about ₹8,000 a month by working as a domestic help in three houses. “If we are moved to Malad, I will have to start all over again, but till then our monthly income will be affected and we cannot afford that,” she said. Added Umesh Kasare, another resident, “My child has board exams coming up so relocation at this time will be a huge burden on us. He will also get an exam centre in Bandra; how will he travel from Malad?”

Rakesh Dhikod, 35, said he was born in Gautam Nagar. “I have a vegetable stall just behind the slum,” he said. “My livelihood depends on it. If we move, I will have to find something else or set up the stall again. We are also not getting any compensation for the relocation and will have to pay from our own pockets.”

A group of people from the society visited Appa Pada to see the allocated building, and recorded videos to show how dilapidated it was. “The building has no proper water supply, and the windows and doors are broken,” said Dhikod. “Even if we move, we will have to spend money to make the house liveable. The area is smaller than the houses we currently live in; besides, the area is not safe for women and kids.”

The shopkeepers in the colony are worried about moving to faraway places where they will have to rebuild their businesses. “After the death of my mother, there were changes in our property documents so we could not submit the documents on time,” said Aarti Sibag, a resident who was declared ineligible. “My family has lived here for 50 years, and we will have nowhere to go.”

“In the other row of houses in Gautam Nagar, a few people have been allocated houses in Kalyan, Dombivli, and Dahisar,” said Kasare. “After living in Bandra we cannot go so far away. And we have stayed as a family for years, so we would like to stay together.”

On February 3, a PWD official sent out the first notice stating that the lottery for room allocations would be done on February 7, but the residents did not pick up the tickets in protest. “The next meeting will happen next week. If we don’t attend, the PWD will conduct the lottery by itself so that the allocations can be done,” said the residents, who have written letters to the concerned ministers, local representatives and collector for help. They are planning to continue the protest in front of the Collector’s Office in Bandra and also file a writ petition.

No official from the PWD was available for comment.