Demolition of Shanties:
- Approximately 1,700 shanties in Bandra West were demolished for a slum rehabilitation project and high-rise towers.
- The multi-storied slum area, Shastri Nagar, had bordered platform 1 of Bandra station for decades.
Clearing of Land:
- Bulldozers and cranes cleared a 6-acre tract of land over the past two days.
- The plot will be used to build towers to rehabilitate 1,400 eligible slum families.
Remaining Families:
- The slum authority will decide the rehabilitation of the remaining 300 families.
- Raja Rahebar Khan, former corporator, provided this information.
Developer Involvement:
- Developer Pioneer will construct a tower in the sale component.
- An access road will be built, connecting the west end of Bandra station to Western Express Highway.
Project History:
- The rehabilitation project had been stalled since 2002.
- Locals and Khan approached courts to renew agreements under a new slum scheme with better benefits.
Transit Accommodation:
- The developer has been paying monthly rents for transit accommodation to eligible families since they vacated their shanties.
Legal and Administrative Actions:
- Slumdwellers had received multiple demolition notices from BMC for road widening.
- They signed an agreement with the builder in 2002, but government eligibility criteria changed over time.
- After court interventions, including the Supreme Court, the builder agreed to execute fresh agreements per the new rules.