Alibaug illegal structures: High court summons Raigad collector

The Bombay high court (HC) has asked the collector of Raigad district and senior officials of the revenue department to be present in court on November 11 in a case

The Bombay high court (HC) has asked the collector of Raigad district and senior officials of the revenue department to be present in court on November 11 in a case regarding illegal structures at Alibaug. The court had been informed that despite an assurance by the state on July 31, illegal bungalows belonging to eminent persons at Alibaug had not been demolished.

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On Wednesday, the state informed the bench of justices SC Dharmadhikari and RI Chagla, that as per the HC order, of 159 illegal structures, 24 have been demolished and 111 structures have been protected by the civil court.

The state further submitted that the district collector had filed pleas to vacate the stays granted by the civil court. As per HC directions, the lower courts were asked to decide on the pleas within six weeks.

The state also submitted that following the pleas, some suits were withdrawn and in others, orders were passed. When the state informed that it did not have any record of the present status of the structures, the bench sought to know whether any official from the Raigad district collector’s office was present in court. The state submitted that due to cyclonic conditions, officials could not be present.

The bench then asked whether action was not being taken because the bungalows belonged to eminent persons. These eminent persons, the bench said, had not bothered to take permission from the authorities to construct the bungalows. Hence, in light of the serious allegations, the officials should have been more diligent about the hearing.

Dharmadhikari said that as the issue was important, the court had expected the collector to depute a special officer for every hearing. However, as none was present, the collector and officials from relevant departments should attend the next hearing to inform the court of the status of the demolitions. The court also asked for records of the suits wherein orders had been passed and follow-up action initiated by the authorities.