Western Railway begins anti-encroachment drive near Mumbai’s Bandra station

Key points

• The Western Railway (WR) on Tuesday (May 19, 2026) launched a five-day anti-encroachment drive near Bandra East railway station, following the Bombay High Court’s order allowing the railway authorities to remove the illegal structures.
• Also read: Major anti-encroachment drive conducted to clear out Howrah station area in Bengal Heavy security The drive is set to clear at least 400 unauthorised structures across 5,200 square metres of land.
• The demolitions were carried out under heavy security.
• Over 1,000 personnel from Railway Protection Force, the Government Railway Police, the State police were deployed amid opposition from the residents.
• “The drive is to be seen from a wider context as it is deeply related to safety and the augmentation plan of railways,” said a WR spokesperson, adding that it was not a sudden plan but has been in process since 2017. According to WR, the encroached land will be used for the expansion...