Evicted, Garib Nagar families now squat around its ruins

Mumbai: Almost a week after railway authorities demolished nearly 500 structures in Garib Nagar, hundreds of displaced residents are now squatting around the edges of the cleared settlement itself. Staying put outside Bandra station, under bridges, inside autorickshaws and along Anant Kanekar Marg, many of those rendered homeless say soaring rents, unaffordable deposits and growing hostility from landlords have effectively shut them out of Mumbai’s rental market.

As police patrol the rubble-strewn neighbourhood, families continue sleeping on pavements and beside demolished homes, creating a new floating settlement around the site they were evicted from. Residents and volunteers estimate that between 500 and 700 people still return to the demolished area every day, while around 100 to 150 remain there through the night.

“Landlords are asking for Rs 15,000 rent and deposits of Rs 1 lakh,” said Imran Mushtafa Shaikh (41), who now lives under a bridge with his wife and four children. “Where are people like us supposed to go?” asked the garment loader, who earns around Rs 15,000 a month. Varsha Gaikwad, who is MP of the Mumbai North Central Constituency in which the area lies, has written to the railway minister and the chief minister seeking “a humane approach” to solve the issue of rehabilitation. Gaikwad’s letter says the slum dwellers have valid local documents to show they are “long-term residents”.

Residents said rents in nearby chawls and slum pockets have nearly doubled since the demolition, with rooms that earlier rented for Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000 now being quoted at Rs 12,000 to Rs 18,000. Even basic amenities have become costlier. “Earlier, the bathing charge at the municipal toilet was Rs 15. Now it is Rs 25,” said Yasin Shaikh (31), whose family of 10 continues to stay near the demolished site despite the heat and takes turns staying awake through the night to guard what remains of their belongings.

The uncertainty has also fuelled anxiety after messages circulated in some housing societies warning residents against renting homes to “illegals”, following remarks by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleging the presence of Bangladeshi immigrants in the area. Several displaced families denied the allegations, saying that they possess Aadhaar cards, PAN cards and voter IDs and have lived in Garib Nagar for decades.

“People are saying we are outsiders, but I was brought here when I was two years old,” said Yusuf Ansari, an M.Com graduate from Rizvi College who shifted his sari-cover business operations to Govandi after the demolition. “I travel there for work and then come back here because my family is still sitting near the rubble.”

NGOs and local volunteers said many residents who managed to find temporary shelter elsewhere are still returning daily with food, water and clothes for those who remain behind. “Many families keep coming back to the site because they have nowhere else to go,” said Sajid Supariwala of Shiv Aarogya Vikas Foundation, which claims to be distributing nearly 1,000 food packets a day in the area.

For many residents, remaining near the demolished settlement is no longer just about shelter, but visibility. “Even if it rains, we will not leave,” said Yasin Shaikh. “If we go away from here, nobody will remember us or our rehabilitation.”