Councillors slam ‘inhumane’ Mumbai civic body for giving slum-dwellers ‘substandard housing’

Ravi Raja, leader of opposition in the Mumbai civic body, accused the civic administration of being inhumane

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s standing committee meeting was adjourned on Wednesday after councillors slammed the civic administration over their demolition drive near the 39-km-long Tansa pipeline.

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The BMC has been removing encroachments across the city, including those at the pipeline, following a Bombay high court order.

The court had directed the civic body to remove all encroachments and construct a 10-foot-high wall on both the sides of the pipeline to prevent further encroachment.

Mangesh Satamkar, Shiv Sena councillor, moved the adjournment motion that was supported by all the standing committee members. “We are not opposing the court order as encroachments should be removed to protect the pipeline. But, the BMC is rehabilitating the encroachers to its units for project-affected people in Mahul at Chembur where even basic facilities are not available,” he said.

Members demanded that the civic administration first provide PAPs with alternative arrangements before evicting them. The BMC officials, however, claimed that it is following court orders and it has no option but to remove encroachments.