1,700 Tin-Shed Along Bandra Station Razed for Slum Rehab Project & High-Rise Towers

Approximately 1,700 Tin-Sheds near Bandra West railway tracks were demolished over the past two days to make way for a slum rehabilitation project and high-rise towers

This area which was covered with Tin-Sheds earlier, known as Shastri Nagar, had encroached upon the boundary of platform 1 of Bandra station for decades. Bulldozers and cranes cleared a 6-acre tract of land, which will be used to build several towers to house 1,400 eligible slum families. The rehabilitation of the remaining 300 families is yet to be decided by the slum authority, according to former corporator Raja Rahebar Khan. The developer, Pioneer, will also construct a tower for the sale component and build an access road connecting the west end of Bandra station to the Western Express Highway.

The rehabilitation project had been stalled since 2002, prompting locals and Khan to seek court intervention to renew their agreements under a new slum scheme offering more benefits. Pioneer has been paying monthly rent to eligible families for transit accommodation since they vacated their Tin-Sheds. The slum dwellers had previously contested their rehabilitation, responding to multiple demolition notices from the BMC for road widening. They signed an agreement with the builder in 2002, but changing government eligibility criteria over the years complicated matters. After legal battles that reached the Supreme Court, the builder agreed to execute a fresh agreement under the new rules, allowing the project to proceed.