Mumbai: The overnight removal of Perry Cross Road bus shelter in Bandra West last month triggered anger among residents and commuters. On Jan 22, former Congress corporator Asif Zakaria wrote a two-page complaint letter to the BEST on behalf of citizens, and there was no response for over a week. But following calls from TOI on Friday morning, BEST installed a bus stop pole mentioning all the routes at the site by afternoon.When contacted, a senior BEST official said the bus shelter was “temporarily removed due to nearby building redevelopment work”. The official further said that BEST, on receiving letter from developer last year, realised that construction activity and trucks bringing material could damage the bus shelter. Following an inspection, the officials decided to dismantle it temporarily for safety. The official assured a proper bus stop and shelter will be installed once conditions permit. Commuters may also use bus stops on either side, about 350m away, which serve the same routes, he added.Zakaria said the bus shelter was removed on the night of Dec 16, 2025, in view of an adjoining highrise project. For one-and-a-half months, schoolchildren, college students, senior citizens, and office-goers were forced to wait at the spot on an exposed footpath, with some spilling onto the road during peak hours.Local residents alleged that the bus shelter was dismantled without notice, due process, or any alternative arrangement. But BEST officials clarified that notices are issued only prior to permanent closure of bus stops.In his letter, Zakaria said: “It was surprising that at a time when BEST was facing financial challenges and was making concerted efforts to attract more commuters, such drastic actions were being taken which inconvenienced regular users.” He also pointed to the loss of advertising revenue from the bus shelter.Bandra corporator Karen D’Mello echoed the concerns, saying the bus stop served key routes including 51 (Santacruz to Colaba), 56 (Versova to Worli Village) and 220 (Bandra station to Khar station). “It is surprising as it results in direct loss of revenue to BEST,” she said, adding she would raise the issue in the BMC House. Bandra West resident Lillian Paes said: “A bus stop pole should have been installed immediately after the demolition in December so as not to inconvenience commuters.“
