The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation will conduct a special demolition drive against unauthorised slum structures measuring 14 feet or more between 1 October and 31 December 2026, prompting opposition parties to demand rehabilitation before any enforcement action. The campaign could affect more than one lakh residents, according to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai.
The proposed action is aimed at curbing unauthorised construction in slum areas. Under the plan, civic authorities will remove structures that meet or exceed the 14-foot height threshold during the three-month campaign. The announcement has triggered political opposition over the possibility of residents losing their homes without an identified rehabilitation arrangement.
Samajwadi Party legislator Rais Shaikh has asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to stay the campaign and provide relief to slum residents. He also questioned the position of the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance, pointing to its position during the election period that slum structures up to 18 feet could be regularised and that structures above 14 feet should receive protection.
Shaikh said the administration should clarify why the civic body was now warning of action against structures covered by those earlier political commitments. He has also demanded that the BMC suspend the drive immediately. The report does not specify the number of structures marked for demolition, the ward-wise locations or the detailed criteria the civic body will use to measure building height.
Mumbai Congress president and Member of Parliament Varsha Gaikwad has also opposed the proposed demolitions under the “rehabilitation first, action later” position. Referring to the Dharavi rehabilitation project and other Slum Rehabilitation Authority projects in Mumbai, she has sought a guarantee that affected residents will be rehabilitated within the city.
The dispute places the BMC’s enforcement plan against the unresolved question of where residents would go if their homes were removed. The source report does not provide details of a rehabilitation package, a relocation schedule, eligibility rules or a formal civic notification outlining the campaign. It also does not record a response from the BMC or the state government to the demands raised by the two political leaders.
The campaign is scheduled to begin on 1 October and continue until 31 December 2026. The next publicly relevant steps are the civic body’s detailed implementation plan, any decision by the chief minister on the request for a stay, and clarification of rehabilitation arrangements for residents facing action.
