Prime Bandra plot under encroachment; Rlys promise action

Mumbai: An 11-acre plot near Bandra railway station which is owned jointly by Western Railways (WR) and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) has been encroached upon by slum tenements and dumping of garbage and debris. Though there is no immediate plan to monetise the plot, valued at over ₹6,000 crore a decade ago, the encroachments will be removed as the land will be utilised for rail expansion projects in future, said railway officials.

A wide nullah and water pipeline leading to the Western Express Highway (WEH) separates the plot into two halves. One half, lying between the drain and harbour line rail tracks and owned by WR, is covered with mangroves and weeds, while the other half, between the drain and WEH and owned by RLDA, is devoid of vegetation.

“The portion which has mangroves used to flourish with greenery during the monsoon till shanties were set up by removing the tree cover. Now, the shanties are proliferating,” a railway official told HT.

On the other half of the plot owned by RLDA, garbage and debris is dumped illegally from the WEH side, where there is an entrance gate, said railway officials. “The entrance gate is always partially open and a pathway leads to a structure inside, around which too garbage has been dumped,” said the official quoted earlier.

The railways had, nearly 15 years ago, produced century-old documents to prove their ownership over the plot. The collector of Thane had handed over the prime land parcel to the Bombay, Baroda & Central India Railway for around ₹4,74,962, the documents showed. About a decade ago, the plot was valued at over ₹5,000-6,000 crore, which would have escalated further, said railway officials.

“There were plans to lease out the plot for 80-100 years, but they did not materialise,” said an official. Though there are no plans presently for commercial exploitation of the plot, it will be used for long term projects, said sources in WR.

“We will remove of the soft encroachments soon as the area next to the pipeline and the rail tracks belongs to us and will be utilised for rail expansion projects in the future,” said a WR official.

Rajiv Singhal, member, Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee, said while the railways have ample land parcels under them, they are unable to take care of the property and are allowing encroachments.

“They should be more alert and proactive in preventing encroachments. Otherwise, they should simply monetise the plot,” said Singhal.