BJP corporator urges BMC to suspend notices to slum structures taller than 14 feet

Ganesh Khankar said that around 40% of Mumbai’s population lives in slum areas, and the civic administration should not take any action that could cause hardship to economically weaker residents

Mumbai: BJP corporator and leader of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) House, Ganesh Khankar, has urged municipal commissioner Ashwini Bhide to immediately suspend the upcoming demolition drive against slum structures taller than 14 feet, saying the move has created an atmosphere of fear among residents.

The BMC recently announced an intensive three-month drive against slum structures that are 14 feet or taller, beginning October 1. (Satish Bate/Hindustan Times)

In a letter to Bhide, Khankar said that around 40% of Mumbai’s population lives in slum areas, and the civic administration should not take any action that could cause hardship to economically weaker residents, many of whom have been living in the city for several years.

“The administration has given instructions to issue notices to slums above 14 feet in slum areas of Mumbai city, due to which an atmosphere of fear has been created,” Khankar wrote in his letter. “I urge that if any such instructions have been issued, they should be immediately suspended,” he added.

The BMC recently announced an intensive three-month drive against slum structures that are 14 feet or taller, beginning October 1. The crackdown is driven by structural and public safety concerns, following recent tragedies such as the Kurla landslide and the Mankhurd building collapse. According to BMC data, there are 223,150 slum structures within its jurisdiction, of which 39,111 are 14 feet or taller.

Khankar has urged the civic administration to take action only against structures in dangerous slum areas where there is a possibility of loss of life, rather than issuing indiscriminate notices to structures exceeding the 14-foot height limit. He warned that indiscriminate notices could trigger widespread unrest and put additional pressure on economically weaker sections living in slum settlements.

The BJP leader highlighted that the Maharashtra government was already undertaking large-scale slum rehabilitation through the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), cluster development and other schemes, with the stated objective of making Mumbai slum-free.

Khankar’s intervention comes at a time when the BJP is the single-largest party in the 227-member BMC, with 89 corporators. The BJP, along with its Mahayuti ally Shiv Sena, is in control of the civic body.