MUMBAI, May 20 -- The Western Railway (WR) launched a largescale anti-encroachment drive to remove unauthorised dwellings on railway land in Garib Nagar, Bandra (East), on Tuesday, amid protests from residents, and heated arguments between administrative authorities and locals. The drive followed a Bombay high court (HC) order of April 2026. On the first day, WR authorities mowed down 20% of the 500-odd illegal shanties, terming it their largest operation yet, for which 800 personnel from local police, GRP and RPF were deployed. Security teams were stationed at Garib Nagar since Monday night; and the drive began at 8 am on Tuesday, after 200 rail staff arrived here. The drive will continue till May 23. Railway officials said only 100 structures were deemed legal, while the rest - almost 400 - strand to be demolished. 10 JCBs, 2 Poclain excavators and 12 trucks were used for the drive on Tuesday. Of the entire area, 1.28 acres of railway land have been encroached since the last 50-60 years, and given its proximity to Bandra Kurla Complex, the land parcel is priced at Rs.600 crore approximately, said sources in WR. "The space that will be made available after the clean-up will be used to build rail infrastructure, opening up space in the Bandra Terminus to create three to four platforms which will allow us to run more trains. It will also lead to punctuality of local trains," said a WR official. The action was unavoidable, said railway authorities, keeping passenger safety in mind. "Growing encroachments adjacent to the railway tracks was a safety hazard. Furthermore, this land is crucial for future railway capacity expansion, maintenance and other infrastructure development works," said the official. According to WR administration, the encroachment case in Garib Nagar was pending before HC since 2017. The drive was launched only after the court allowed WR to act. "We have initiated the action, following orders from HC. Removing encroachments is essential to develop facilities for passengers," said Vineet Abhishek, chief PRO for WR....