TMC, tehsildars raze 40 illegal constructions on collector’s land

Usually, during any kind of demolition work, the team seeks the support of the local police to accompany and control the situation if they face opposition from people at the site. However, in this crackdown, the in-charge officer, tehsildar Dinesh Paithankar, single-handedly controlled the mob at site and carried out the demolition successfully.

Thane: In a major crackdown on illegal constructions on Thane collector’s land in Kasarwadvali, at least 40 unauthorised establishments were bulldozed by a team of tehsildars and officials of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) on Wednesday.

Thane, India - April 12, 2023: In a major crackdown on illegal construction on Collector's land , the Thane Collector, Tehsildar and Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) jointly initiated the demolition of 40 illegal constructions at Kasarvadavali, in Thane, India, on Wednesday, April 12, 2023. (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

Usually, during any kind of demolition work, the team seeks the support of the local police to accompany and control the situation if they face opposition from people at the site. However, in this crackdown, the in-charge officer, tehsildar Dinesh Paithankar, single-handedly controlled the mob at site and carried out the demolition successfully.

“The police team were informed about the demolition. But they were taking some time to reach. We could not wait and delay the demolition and so, we went ahead with it,” said Paithankar. The demolition began on Tuesday evening was continued on Wednesday.

A team of senior officials from TMC and Thane collector office were present at the at the spot during the demolition. The locals, who had gathered at the site, manhandled Paithankar and his team in an effort to stop him from carrying out the demolition.

“I did not stop as the Thane collector is keeping track of all such illegal construction and wanted to take a rigorous action against it. The mob tried to prevent us from carrying out the demolition, but we did not stop. The job was completed successfully despite several hurdles,” said Paithankar.

A local resident claimed that the authorities had not given them any prior intimation about the demolition, and this caused panic among them, and they tried to stop the officials.

“We were not aware of any such action by the authorities and suddenly they started razing the structures using JCB machines. It created panic among the residents, and we asked the officers to stop,” said a local, who did not wish to be named.