File criminal case against those reclaiming Lokhandwala Backwaters: district collector

The issue was raised by Sena Mumbai North-West MP Ravindra Waikar in a meeting with Katiyar to discuss issues pertaining to the constituency

MUMBAI: After repeated complaints from the Shiv Sena, suburban collector Saurabh Katiyar has started a reinvestigation into the reclamation of the Lokhandwala backwaters.

File criminal case against those reclaiming Lokhandwala Backwaters: district collector

The issue was raised by Sena Mumbai North-West MP Ravindra Waikar in a meeting with Katiyar to discuss issues pertaining to the constituency. He told the collector that the issue had been raised in the assembly, and the government had also given explicit orders to stop the landfilling but it continued regardless. Local resident associations and ALMs have also protested against it.

Waikar said the filling was being carried out by a contractor employed by the Maharashtra National Law University who was overstepping his brief and reclaiming the backwaters. “Despite the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) imposing a fine of ₹87 crore, the landfilling is still continuing, with hundreds of trucks transporting material to the site daily,” he said. The district collector instructed the MPCB officers present at the meeting to register a criminal case against those responsible.

Waikar also asked the government to resettle the tribals who were displaced by the construction of the Force One complex in Goregaon. The collectorate assured him that a meeting would be held on the issue soon.

The MP further pointed out that several municipal markets, including Navalkar Market, Nirmalatai Raginwar Market, Premnagar Market, Versova-Yari Road Market, Dattaji Salvi Market and the Sukhi Machhi Market in Andheri, had deteriorated considerably. “Their redevelopment has been delayed because the BMC’s name has not yet been entered in the land extracts for the plots on which these markets have existed for many years,” he said. The collectorate has now asked the BMC to correspond with the collector’s office and coordinate with it to complete this process.

The Sena also raised the issue of repeated traffic jams at NESCO in Goregaon. The exhibitions held at NESCO result in a large number of vehicles being parked on the roads, forcing motorists to face traffic congestion for hours. The BMC was instructed to coordinate with the traffic department and take effective measures to prevent traffic congestion, said a press note issued by Waikar.

Katiyar also directed the medical officer (health), fire brigade and building proposals department to jointly inspect the unauthorised construction currently taking place at NESCO and submit a report within 15 days.