WR starts razing Bandra’s Garibnagar slums

Mumbai: The Western Railway started one of the biggest four-day long anti-encroachment drives in Garibnagar slums of Bandra east to clear the illegal occupation of its land bordering the eastern sides of Bandra suburban station.

The Garibnagar slums had shot to global spotlight after the filming of the 8-Oscar winning superhit “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008) after it emerged that at least two of its young Rubina Ali and Azharuddin M. Ismail were residing here.

Later, after the film earned over US$ 380-mn, its director Danny Boyle had launched an initiative, ‘Jai Ho Trust’ to improve the lot of Rubina, Azharuddin and other child actors, sponsoring their full education and arranging decent homes for them, besides other kinds of help.

Tuesday’s land-clearing exercise by the WR is linked to its long-pending fifth and sixth corridors expansion project between Santacruz and Mumbai Central intended to reduce the commuters' crush in the suburban rail network.

It is also a prime chunk of real estate with great significance and commercial potential under the Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA), as also the hub for the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, WR officials indicated.

“Following the Bombay High Court’s directions, WR has commenced the removal of illegal encroachments from railway land near Bandra station. The drive will continue over the next four days, paving the way for safer operations and critical future infrastructure development,” Western Railway officials said.

According to some estimates, there are around 500-700 unauthorised shanties in and around Garibnagar, including some used as commercial premises and a few eyesores standing 5-6 storeys tall, in the vicinity along the Bandra east commuter foot overbridge.

The WR said that a strong security force comprising Mumbai Police, Railway Protection Force and Government Railway Police, concerned railway staffers, on-ground workers and equipment were deployed for the major demolition drive, besides fire brigade and ambulance teams on standby in the cordoned area to handle any eventuality.

Recalling Dutt

As the demolition gangs landed there this morning, agitated slum-dwellers attempted to protest and remembered how the late actor and local MP Sunil Dutt had earlier prevented razing of this neighbourhood on several occasions.

Expressing concerns, Congress’ ex-Rajya Sabha MP Hussain Dalwai said that extremely poor sections of people reside in Garibnagar, and questioned if the WR had followed proper procedure before the bulldozing action.

“Did they carry out a survey here prior to launching this operation? How can demolition be carried out without a proper survey even as the Bombay High Court order is being challenged in the Supreme Court,” Dalwai said.

Samajwadi Party state President Abu Asim Azmi also expressed sympathy for the cause of the estimated 500-plus families eking out a miserable existence here for over five decades.

“They are the citizens and belong to this country, and need a home to live in. No one would choose to live on footpaths or build illegal houses if they had proper shelter. It’s the duty of a good government to provide decent accommodation for all its citizens,” declared Azmi said.

He urged the government for a rethink and observed that the ‘bulldozer action’ that was started in Uttar Pradesh has now become a fashion and it should be stopped forever.

However, Bharatiya Janata Party leader and ex-Lok Sabha MP Dr. Kirit Somaiya lauded the WR and Police for removing the slums and driving out what he alleged Bangladeshi encroachers in the vicinity.

Nevertheless, many locals like retired college lecturer R. N. or a retired woman, K. Nalini and others welcomed the demolition action in the larger public interest and hoped that Garibnagar would be erased from the Mumbai map forever.