Eviction drive at Mumbai’s Bandra leaves children and elderly without shelter in scorching heat

By: Srimoyee Palit & Meghna Rewachand

MUMBAI: As bulldozers tore through the narrow lanes of Garib Nagar in Bandra East this week, hundreds of families watched decadesold homes crumble into heaps of concrete and twisted metal, their belongings piled onto tarpaulins under the harsh summer sun.

As authorities cleared land for railway expansion and infrastructure integration, the drive left families, including newborns, the elderly and children, sitting on mats in sweltering heat with no food, water or shelter.



Locals said that while some families had received prior notice to vacate, many claimed they were given insufficient time to relocate and that no alternative settlement had been arranged.

Around 100 structures, with their owners eligible for resettlement, were left untouched.

Nafeeza, displaced along with her two children, said, “Neta log sirf bhashan dena jaante hain aur kuch nahi,” she said. A male relative echoed her frustration, saying that when residents approached officials seeking compensation, they were turned away dismissively. “Chappal se marenge, they treat us like garbage,” he said.

A woman with a newborn said that any attempt to protest was met with threats of arrest.

Even if they tried to protest, they were apprehended. Heavy police and BMC vehicle presence was visible throughout the area during the demolition.