India, May 2 -- When officials arrived late on Thursday night to snap power lines, residents of Haji Noorani Chawl in Elphinstone refused to budge, triggering a tense stand-off that spilled into Friday morning. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), along with Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) teams and Mumbai Police, attempted to disconnect electricity supply to force evacuation of one of the two buildings required for the Sewri-Worli Elevated Corridor project.

The confrontation comes after residents were given barely a week to vacate. MMRDA had issued notices on April 21 to eight tenements, directing them to move out by April 24, 2026. Demolition was initially scheduled to begin on April 27, but has...