Mumbai railway residents secure pause on demolition

Thousands of residents from more than 12 settlements along Mumbai’s railway corridor between Kurla and Vashi Naka have secured a temporary halt to the proposed demolition of 3,762 homes. The decision followed a day-long sit-in outside the suburban Collector’s office on November 4, led largely by women, children and young residents.

The protest was organised by the Jan Haq Sangharsh Samiti against a plan to remove homes on railway land after a Bombay High Court order. Residents said the demolition would leave nearly 5,000 families, or about 25,000 people, without shelter or a clear rehabilitation plan.

Protesters demanded that no home be demolished until the government announced a rehabilitation policy guaranteeing alternate housing. They also rejected a reported compensation offer of Rs 2,000 and sought written assurance that demolitions would not proceed before affected families were rehoused.

Throughout the day, residents raised the slogan, “Jo zameen sarkari hai, wo zameen hamari hai” — “The land that belongs to the government belongs to us.” The Jan Haq Sangharsh Samiti said the protest brought together residents from different settlements, many of whom had previously been divided by local political affiliations.

Although the Collector did not address the gathering directly, officials later told a 12-member delegation that the residents’ demands would be placed before the Deputy Chief Minister the following day. The Samiti said the protest ended without a written commitment, but warned that residents would march to Mantralaya if the government did not reverse the demolition decision.

The next day, the Deputy Chief Minister, the Collector and Railway officials agreed to stay the demolition and promised to frame a “house for a house” rehabilitation policy, according to the Samiti. Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also directed the Slum Rehabilitation Authority to prepare a detailed project report for rehousing families along the Kurla-Trombay railway stretch.

Despite the announced pause, the Jan Haq Sangharsh Samiti said the struggle was not over. It pointed out that the order halting demolition had not yet been issued in writing, while the High Court order itself remained unchanged.

The Samiti also said no final rules for rehabilitation had been announced. It warned that residents would remain mobilised until the demands of “Ghar ke badle ghar” — a house in place of every house — and secure housing rights for railway-side settlements were met.

The statement ended with the slogans “Inquilab Zindabad,” “Jai Bhim” and “Lal Salaam.”