3 min readMumbaiJun 4, 2026 08:33 PM IST
Almost a year after their homes in Darukhana on the eastern front of the city were demolished, residents of the area marched from their homes to Azad Maidan on Thursday. Having continued to live on the site of their broken homes, over the rubble, the upcoming monsoon raised anxieties among the homeless about their continued existence and their children’s health.
Much of the land on the Eastern Freeway, which has been occupied by warehouses and slum homes for decades, belongs to the Mumbai Port Trust Authority (MbPA) under the central government.
Despite the residents having lived in the area for three to four generations with documents to show proof — with the previous generations having worked at the port — the MbPA’s lack of a housing policy means they did not receive alternative homes.
On May 12, around 200 homes along New Tank Bundar Road were demolished, leaving around 500 people out on the streets. Officials from the MbPA warned other informal homes in the area too would be demolished as the authority intends to clear their land of encroachment for development plans.
Heavy police protection was deployed at the Mumbai Port Authority residential colony in Darukhana on On May 12 when 200 homes were demolished. (Express file photo)
What the protestors said
“Most of us don’t have anywhere to go,” said Durai Raj, 47, at the protest on Thursday. “Whatever belongings of ours we have managed to salvage were moved to families or friends’ homes. But we continue to live right where the graves of our past homes are, having flattened some of the ground and putting plastic over the rubble.”
From their makeshift homes, around 1,000 residents of Darukhana marched to Reay Road station at around 10am, heading to Azad Maidan by train, in line with permissions given by Sewri Police. Their protest was against MbPA, demanding a housing rehabilitation policy.
“The situation of women, the elderly and children is much worse, sleeping out in the open, managing with the few common toilets available, and without our belongings,” said another resident, Shivakumar Thangasamy.
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At the demolition site, residents have been cooking with cylinders and small stoves or with wood and stones. While some have laid out mattresses and sleep on the rubble, others have salvaged beds to sleep on, with women, children and the elderly being prioritised. An enclosure with cloth made for women to bathe was taken down by the authorities, while a plastic covering to cover their cooking station almost blew off during early morning rains.
Raj said, “We are fearful about how we and our families will live with the coming monsoon. Soon, our kids’ schools will start and even if we move to a rented place, we will have to scramble to get them enrolled in a school.”
Hoping to secure some respite for the monsoon, the residents decided on the protest, simultaneously preparing to approach the Bombay High Court. A delegation of protestors was called to meet the CM.
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