WR completes Bandra demolition op; concrete work for rly project begins

Mumbai: Western Railway (WR) on Saturday completed the fifth day of its anti-encroachment drive at Garib Nagar slum near Bandra station (East), with all 500 unauthorised structures dismantled, said chief spokesperson Vineet Abhishek.

With the demolition phase largely over, concrete work for the integrated railway project has commenced from the north side of the plot. Sources said railways want to expedite their project so that there is no re-encroachment.Officials said over 50-60% of the debris has already been cleared from the site.As per a Bombay High Court order, around 100 structures have been retained. However, WR said it has removed the maximum possible portions from atop these hutments.

“Wherever applicable, the ground floor is being retained and only upper floors —first to fourth — are being dismantled,” said officials. The upper-floor demolition was carried out manually, with teams working overnight to ensure controlled dismantling and adherence to safety protocols so that no one is injured.

Railway officials said nearly 100% of this planned dismantling work has been completed.More than 1,200 staffers were deployed for the operation, which officials described as complicated due to the dense settlement pattern and the need for careful, step-by-step dismantling.

“The complicated work has been completed in five days. We will continue the work,” said Abhishek, adding that similar anti-encroachment drives will continue in the coming days.WR said the cleared space in Bandra East will be used for passenger amenities and capacity augmentation projects. The larger objective is to ease overcrowding on local trains and improve access to the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train station at BKC.

The railway plans to expand the fifth and sixth lines on the Santacruz–Mumbai Central corridor, a long-pending project aimed at easing severe commuter congestion, improving overall rail operations and enabling 50 new originating trains from Mumbai.Officials said the additional space will also help connect Bandra suburban station more seamlessly with Bandra Terminus, with plans for more platforms and stabling lines for outstation trains. To address chaos outside Bandra East station, Western Railway said it will coordinate with traffic police to streamline passenger movement, create designated pedestrian and public transport spaces, and organise pick-up and drop-off zones for autos, taxis and BEST buses to ensure safer entry and exit round the clock.