57 hutments along Kalwa Creek in Thane demolished

At least 57 hutments along the Kalwa Creek below the old Kalwa Bridge were demolished in a combined action taken by the Thane Municipal Corporation and the Thane District Collector

At least 57 hutments along the Kalwa Creek below the old Kalwa Bridge were demolished in a combined action taken by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and the Thane District Collector.

At least 57 hutments along the Kalwa Creek below the old Kalwa Bridge were demolished in a combined action taken by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) and the Thane District Collector on Monday. (PRAFUL GANGURDE/HT PHOTO)

These huts in Kranti Nagar slums, which were set up by destroying mangroves, were directly on the edge of the creek and would lead to loss of life during high tide in monsoon. The authorities said that 0.50 acres of the area were freed following Monday’s action and would be used for replantation of mangroves that were destroyed by these illegal settlements.

The area along the creek has 500-600 huts, out of which those directly in the creek were demolished. A survey of other huts would be undertaken to gauge how many are in the buffer areas around the mangroves.

Shankar Patole, deputy municipal commissioner, TMC, said, “We have demolished 57 huts that were directly on the bank of the creek. Most residents install bamboo on the creek bed and build a temporary hut with wood and plastic sheets. This is then converted into a pucca house. In case of a high tide, these can be damaged, leading to loss of lives.”

He added that recently there were many complaints regarding these encroachments. Moreover, the Konkan divisional commissioner had given guidelines to raze down these huts.

The civic officials informed that the debris would be cleared and following permission from forest and district authorities, the mangroves would be planted.

Thane creek has a stretch of 26km and a mangrove area of 26 sq. km. Most creekfronts in the city, especially in Kalwa and Mumbra, are encroached either by slums or land sharks.

Residents claim they have no place to stay

Sixty-year-old Surekha Kambale stays with her 12-year-old grandson at the Kranti Nagar slums near Tarapur Gardens, CIDCO, Thane. She claimed that she was staying here from the 1990s. All her worldly belongings were strewn outside her house, soaking in the rain.

“The officials came in the morning and started demolishing our homes. We were not given any prior notice. They did not give us time even to remove our things. They merely threw them out. I have been staying here for more than two decades. My children were born and married in the same lanes. My grandson stays with me. He was home from school in the afternoon but I could not cook him any food and had to request someone to feed him. I don’t know where we will be staying tonight or in the future.”

Another resident, Vijay More, 36, said that the houses were surveyed by the corporation and all of them possess a survey receipt. “All our homes are numbered with a survey number. We have school leaving certificates and ration cards of the same address. So, why are we asked to go now without even giving us an alternative accommodation. Hundreds of people residing here are now out on the roads.”

More was born and brought up in the same slums, and stays with his mother and two children.

Yuwraj Bangar, Thane Tehsildar, said, “These huts were illegal on the mangrove land and, thus, we did not need to serve any notice to them. The TMC will carry out the replantation of mangroves on this land.”