BMC officials and labourers had a tough time demolishing the illegal ramp built outside actor Shah Rukh Khan's Bandra bungalow 'Mannat' on Saturday .The demolition work started around 8 in the morning and went on till 6 in the evening.

Senior H-West Ward officials said since the slab was made of reinforced concrete, the process was tedious. Officials said the ramp outside the bungalow on Cement Road, located off Bandstand, was six inches in thickness and 75 metres in length. Work will resume on Sunday to even out the spot.

This demolition ties up a rather busy week for BMC, as it had already carried out two other razings earlier this week. On Tuesday, illegal stalls and alterations made inside Worli's Sukhada and Shubhada society, which houses high-profile politicians, were razed. The same day, an illegal seven-storey Masjid Bunder building, developed by an alleged aide of Dawood Ibrahim, was also made “uninhabitable“.

Vijay Kamble, assistant municipal commissioner, H-West Ward, confirmed the ramp's demolition on Saturday, and said they started work around 8am. Kamble said, “Since it was a reinforced concrete slab, demolition took time.“

Two JCBs and power-operated hammers were put to use and trucks were seen loading steel rods and debris collected during the process.

On January 29, Mumbai North Central MP Poonam Mahajan had written to municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte about the ramp. She wrote that it caused permanent obstruction to those who access the public road. The ramp, she said, was used by the bungalow's owner to park his heavy motor vehicle.In her letter, Mahajan did not mention the actor's name.

Citizen activists who had gathered to watch the demolition were seen distributing sweets. Nicholas Almeida from Watchdog Foundation called it a victory of the common man. “I wrote 21 letters to the chief minister of Maharashtra over the ramp. In 2013, during the Mount Mary Fair, the area adjoining the actor's bungalow leading to the basilica was barricaded and we had to fight to get it opened. Finally, all our efforts have borne results and the ramp has been demolished,“ said Almeida.

Corporator Brian Miranda who was present at the demolition site on Saturday alleged that the actor did not demolish the ramp despite the seven-day notice. Miranda said he protested against BMC's inaction on Friday by offering a bouquet to H-West Ward's assistant municipal commissioner.

Other citizen activists said the ramp had narrowed the road's width. Anil Joseph from Perry Road Residents' Association welcomed the demolition and said, “Considering there is a BEST bus stop near the bungalow, those heading towards the basilica in buses prefer to take Cement Road.“