MUMBAI, April 9 -- Under a harsh Wednesday sun, hundreds of families in Annabhau Sathe Nagar in Mankhurd watched their homes come down in a matter of hours as authorities carried out one of the city's largest anti-encroachment drives along the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road. For many, belongings lay scattered in the open, with no immediate clarity on rehabilitation. More than 1,200 illegal huts were demolished across nearly 11 acres of government land, officials said. The operation, undertaken on the orders of Mumbai Suburban Collector Saurabh Katiyar in coordination with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), was carried out amid heavy police deployment. Authorities said the land had been encroached upon for several years, but action was delayed due to the administrative burden of conducting successive elections, parliamentary, assembly and civic. A government officer said the administration has been relying on satellite imagery since 2011 to identify unauthorised constructions. "With the help of modern technology, similar encroachments will be identified and acted upon promptly in the future," the officer said. Mumbai Suburban co-guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha said the cleared land would be used to develop an "Adivasi Srushti" and a "Science Park". Lodha also alleged that land mafias have increasingly occupied government land in Mumbai and its suburbs through unauthorised constructions. "In many cases, it has been observed that Bangladeshi and Rohingya individuals receive protection with the support of local elements. Such areas often become hubs for illegal narcotics trade and other anti-social activities. Similar large-scale unauthorised constructions have also been identified in Malad and Malvani, where strict action is underway," he said. Around 400 personnel participated in the operation amid tight security....