India, March 29 -- The demolition of half-a-century-old Laxmi Niwas, one of the two oldest chawls required for the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor, began on Friday, marking the end of an era in Prabhadevi's changing skyline. By next week, Haji Noorani Chawl, its neighbour, will also be brought down.

For decades, these low-rise structures stood witness to Elphinstone Road's transformation into Prabhadevi; from a mill district to a forest of glass towers. Now dwarfed by skyscrapers, they are making way for the infrastructure that will define the city's next chapter.

The Elphinstone bridge, a relic of the British era, was shut to traffic on the night of September 12, 2025. On the same day, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, who also chairs...