India, April 4 -- A part of Khotachiwadi, a 200-year-old heritage village in the heart of Girgaon, is history. The Khanderao Block, or Khanderao Chawl, which once housed the staff of the affluent owners of the colourful Indo-Portuguese-style bungalows that dot the village, is among half a dozen structures in Khotachiwadi Lane that have been razed for redevelopment.

While Khotachiwadi is a Grade III heritage precinct, which has made its redevelopment a highly contentious issue, the structures that were razed were in the non-heritage section of the neighbourhood. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC's) records, while the Khanderao Block was outside the heritage precinct, the Khotachiwadi Lane is part of it.

Civic reg...