Mumbai civic body bulldozes 1,400 huts, clears 22 acres of govt land in Mankhurd

Authorities in Mumbai bulldozed around 1,400 unauthorised huts in the Mankhurd area of the city’s eastern suburbs on Wednesday during a large joint eviction drive carried out by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Suburban Collector’s office , officials said.

The action cleared encroachments from a 22-acre government plot at the erstwhile Bombay Soap Factory site located along the Ghatkopar–Mankhurd Link Road , a key arterial corridor. Officials said the land belongs to the revenue department and had gradually been occupied by squatters over the years.

The demolition was carried out under the provisions of Section 50 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, 1966 , following directions from the Additional Collector for encroachment removal in the eastern suburbs.

According to the civic body, the operation involved around 200 labourers and several heavy machines , including Poclain excavators, JCBs and dumpers, which were used to bulldoze the structures . Police personnel were deployed at the site to maintain law and order during the exercise.

Civic officials said thousands of people had been living in the huts , many of which had come up over the past decade. “The structures were illegally built on government land and action was taken as per the law to remove the encroachments,” an official involved in the drive said.

Residents, however, expressed distress over the demolition. “We have been living here for more than ten years. Many families have nowhere else to go,” said a woman whose hut was demolished during the drive.

Authorities said the reclaimed land will be secured to prevent fresh encroachments, while the state government will decide how the plot will be used in the future.