Traffic bottleneck in Powai cleared: Temple on middle of Mumbai’s JVLR demolished

Civic body razes temple under court directive; by Friday all structures that have come up illegally between 1962 and 2009 to be cleared

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday cleared the decades-old Maruti temple opposite IIT-Bombay, removing a major bottleneck on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli link road.

According to a Bombay high court (HC) directive, the civic body(in pic) was to by Friday raze all structures that had come up illegally between 1962 and 2009. (FILE)

According to a Bombay high court (HC) directive, the civic body was to by Friday raze all structures that had come up illegally between 1962 and 2009. Of the 495 shrines slotted for demolition, 446 have been demolished or shifted so far, said an official.

The HC had, however, stayed the razing of this structure. The stay was lifted on December 5. Locals have approached the HC over five more shrines in Bhandup (W), Powai and Vikhroli.

READ: BMC razes 461 illegal shrines in Mumbai, day before high court deadline ends

Assistant municipal commissioner Santoshkumar Dhonde told HT, “The idol has been shifted to a temple in the adjacent building. The demolished temple was over 800 sqft, which included an extension.”

Residents welcomed the peaceful removal of the 50-60 years old shrine.

Neha Rajpal, a resident and a frequent commuter on JVLR, said, “This was one of the oldest temples in Powai. But it was on a major bottleneck on the road, causing vehicles going toward Powai to pile up on JVLR.”