5 buildings razed in Versova, 35 more to go

The crackdown, led by the K-West ward office, is targeting structures built without official permission in ecologically sensitive marshlands

MUMBAI: Five unauthorised buildings have been demolished in Versova, with plans underway to raze 35 more in the next few days. The crackdown, led by the K-West ward office, is targeting structures built without official permission in ecologically sensitive marshlands and the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas of this western suburb. The buildings, ranging in size from ground-plus-one to ground-plus-five storeys, were found to have been constructed over the last year, despite repeated notices and warnings from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The BMC on Friday demolished nine unauthorised constructions in Madh as part of the drive to raze structures built with the help of fudged Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) maps

The demolished structures include: Kutur House, Sai Shraddha Nivas, Naga House, Zhemane House and Ganesh Sagar. According to civic officials, the buildings posed a potential threat to life as they were built on marshy terrain.

Further investigations have revealed 35 more unauthorised structures in the same CRZ area. The BMC said these buildings too will also be demolished as part of its ongoing enforcement drive.

CRZ demolitions in Madh

In a separate development, the BMC on Friday demolished nine unauthorised constructions in Madh as part of the drive to raze structures built with the help of fudged Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) maps.

Earlier, a bungalow whose construction was based on these maps was razed.

Civic official said the P-North ward office is undertaking this drive and a total of 101 illegal constructions relating to this case will be demolished by the end of May.

They said that 130 illegal constructions have been built in the Madh area over the last year based on fake maps. As part of the drive to raze these structures, a bungalow named ‘Preet’, built on a 1,500-sq ft plot in Erangal village, was demolished on May 5.

On Friday, nine more constructions in Erangal and Walnai areas were demolished. The structures ranged in size from 200 sq ft to 2,500 sq ft.