100 Garib Nagar Families in Bandra East to Relocate for Sixth Railway Line Project
Around 100 eligible families from Garib Nagar in Bandra East are scheduled to be rehabilitated before August 15 to clear land for the long-pending Mumbai Central–Bandra sixth railway line project. The timeline was established following a coordination meeting between the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), Western Railway, and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) aimed at speeding up the infrastructure project.
The relocation process will involve moving the eligible families to alternative housing in Kurla. According to officials, 26 rehabilitation flats at the HDIL Kurla Premier project will be ready for possession by July 25. An additional 84 apartments at the Bhandari Metallurgy project, also in Kurla, are scheduled to be handed over by August 25 once necessary repair work is completed.
The MMRDA has directed the involved agencies to complete the refurbishment of these flats on a priority basis to facilitate the swift relocation of the eligible families. The total cost of the rehabilitation process will be shared equally between the Railways and the Maharashtra State Government through the MMRDA.
The Garib Nagar settlement lies directly in the path of the planned Mumbai Central–Bandra sixth railway corridor, which is being developed under the Mumbai Urban Transport Project 3A (MUTP-3A). A survey of the area identified nearly 500 occupants affected by the project. Of these, only 100 families met the eligibility criteria for resettlement, while approximately 400 occupants were declared ineligible.
In May, authorities removed the 400 ineligible structures following directions from the Bombay High Court. Officials have reassured the remaining eligible residents that they will not be evicted from Garib Nagar until their alternative accommodations in Kurla are ready and provided to them.
Once the rehabilitation process is fully completed, work on the crucial sixth railway corridor is expected to gather pace. The project aims to significantly improve both suburban and long-distance rail capacity in Mumbai.
