Mumbai, May 26 -- The famous Mithibai khau galli -- a culinary landmark of Gulmohar Road, Vile Parle-- which took its name for its proximity to Mithibai College, has faded into history after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished the last of its 10 stalls last week. The nearly 50-year-old lane that housed food stalls now stands vacant to make way for the upcoming Metro Line 2B station, part of the corridor which will link D N Nagar, in Andheri West, to Mandale in Mankhurd. Earlier, a joint survey by BMC and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) found that the stalls stood within the alignment of the new Metro station. Vendors were first served eviction notices in November 2025, directing them to dismantle their stalls within seven days or face demolition. However, the civic body's move was stalled as vendors had moved court to protect their structures. The demolitions which subsequently began on March 6, concluded on May 6, with the spot being cleared of the debris last week. The last sequence of demolitions were executed after Bombay High Court (HC) rejected the petition of a vendor, Taranath Shetty, on April 2, 2026. Shetty's was only one of the many petitions before the court by vendors. Chakrapani Alle, assistant commissioner of K West ward, said, "The stalls had defied HC directions to stay away from a distance of 100 metres from educational institutions. They were also violating all norms related to stalls allotted to hawkers. The construction of the Metro 2B station strengthened our case." In petitions filed by Janhit Manch and Shri Vile Parle Kelvani Mandal (SVKM), HC had ruled in 2015 that vendors cooking food on public roads and footpaths -- such as those at the Mithibai College khau galli -- could not claim protection under the Street Vendors Act. In its notices, BMC had cited a 2013 Supreme Court ruling prohibiting hawking within 100 metres of educational institutions and hospitals. Since Gulmohar Road falls within the restricted zone of Cooper Hospital and the SVKM educational complex, officials maintained that the stalls violated the order. The corporation also stated that the vendors lacked licences mandated under Section 313 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act. Later, the HC, while hearing interim applications challenging BMC's directive to relocate the stalls on April 2, observed that a major public infrastructure project could not be obstructed by a handful of private applicants. The court noted delays by the vendors in seeking relief and recorded that they had rejected all 27 alternative sites proposed by the corporation. Emphasising the significance of the Metro project, the court directed the vendors to vacate within 10 days and recorded their undertaking to remove the stalls by April 12, 2026. It further ruled that in case of non-compliance, BMC could demolish the structures on April 13, take possession of the land and hand it over to the MMRDA with police assistance if required. Looking at the vacant plot, Anand Nainar, owner of Anand Vada Pav, a popular go-to stall for street food, said, "I have another stall 500 metres away from here. I invented cheese butter street food and introduced butter vada pav, Schezwan cheese vada pav and fusion Frankies. I have now moved HC to relocate to a nearby spot, as we had regular patrons." Advocate Manoj Kumar Pandey, whose father Ram Lauten Pandey owned the Ice 'n' Rolls stall, reminisced: "My father has ownership papers dating back to 1962. The 27 locations identified by the BMC as an option for us were not suitable for business and hence we rejected them." Former student and regular patron of the galli, Dhaval Shah, who is now a businessman, described the lane as a social and culinary hub for thousands of students. "I went there; now my daughter also visits the spot as she is a student of Jamnabai Narsee School. The stalls served tasty food, especially the butter vada pav and butter samosa pav. Anand and Shetty will be missed." Another patron, Hitesh Parekh, recalled the street's popularity despite the stalls being on the road. "People didn't shy away from eating from this street. We used to come here late at night to drink tea," he said. It is the end of an era for residents in the vicinity too. Nidhi Ringshia, who lives opposite Jamnabai Narsee School, said, "Our non-Mumbai guests love the dosas, vada pav and sandwiches from the stalls. We are already missing the flavours."...