TMC identifies 909 illegal buildings, demolishes 175

The slew of demolitions comes in response to numerous petitions complaining about the rampant land grabbing and illegal constructions in Diva and Mumbra divisions of the civic body. In an affidavit, the deputy municipal commissioner Shankar Patole said that the corporation had also gotten 44 FIRs registered against builders involved in unauthorised constructions

MUMBAI: The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has identified 909 unauthorised buildings within its jurisdiction, demolished 175 of them and partially demolished 52 of them. Out of the 909 buildings, 740 of them were found in the Diva division, and 74 in the Kalwa-Mumbra division, the TMC told the Bombay high court on Monday.

The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has identified 909 unauthorised buildings within its jurisdiction, demolished 175 of them and partially demolished 52 of them. (Praful Gangurde / HT PHOTO)

The slew of demolitions comes in response to numerous petitions complaining about the rampant land grabbing and illegal constructions in Diva and Mumbra divisions of the civic body. In an affidavit, the deputy municipal commissioner Shankar Patole said that the corporation had also gotten 44 FIRs registered against builders involved in unauthorised constructions. As per the affidavit, the civic body cut off the water supply to 275 unauthorised buildings in the Diva division, and in 89 buildings, the functioning of borewells was stopped.

Taking a stern note of illegal constructions within the jurisdiction of the TMC, the Bombay high court on June 12 had ordered an inquiry into 17 allegedly unauthorised structures including multi-storied buildings, in Shil Daighar near Mumbra. The court had also directed the deputy commissioner of the Diva ward office to remove the unauthorised structures and stop the water and electricity supply to those buildings.

The court’s orders came after a petition by Subhadra Takle, the owner of a 5.5-acre plot of land in Shil on which the 17 allegedly illegal structures had been constructed. Takle’s petition sought the removal of those illegal structures from her land.

In response to Takle, the TMC said that those structures had already been declared illegal and the civic body had initiated appropriate action against them. The bench clarified that in such cases the civic body must not wait for court orders to take action. The court also directed the TMC chief Saurabh Rao to survey all developing areas within the civic body’s limits and act against illegal constructions “before it is too late”.

“The green zones and areas in which no construction is permissible ought to be safeguarded. If any construction has come up on such no-development areas it should be immediately removed in accordance with law,” the bench said.

Earlier in June, the court had noted a petition alleging that the assistant commissioner of Diva division was charging ₹200 per sq.ft from builders putting up unauthorised structures in Mumbra and Diva. The court had ordered the TMC to consider initiating departmental and criminal proceedings against the official who was allegedly “protecting illegal constructions”.

In its Monday affidavit, the TMC added that it had also begun clearing away the debris from the demolitions using crushers. The civic body added that a fully functional waste plant was being used to process the debris. “To prevent future violations, advertisements have been issued in newspapers warning the public against purchasing unauthorised properties,” the affidavit said.

The corporation, after assessing the costs of the demolition, has issued notices to the concerned parties for the payment. “In case of failure of such payments, the money will be recovered through property tax (imposed on future buyers of that land),” the civil body told the court. The TMC added that its officials have been taking necessary steps to avoid any damage to nearby structures.

The civic body also informed the court that a departmental enquiry will be initiated against officers to curb corrupt practices that have allowed illegal buildings to mushroom in the area.