BMC engineers wary of acting on illegal structures

In the wake of the Campa Cola situation , the civic body is suffering from undue delays in implementing last year’s state government notification that calls for setting up of a team to deal with growing cases of illegal structures because of protests by engineers who fear reprisals by builders.

In the wake of the Campa Cola situation , the civic body is suffering from undue delays in implementing last year’s state government notification that calls for setting up of a team to deal with growing cases of illegal structures because of protests by engineers who fear reprisals by builders.

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At least 10 of the 64 posts of civic assistant engineers that were to be designated under the new mechanism to form a special team of officials to detect and act against illegal constructions are still vacant owing to protests from civic engineers.

“Why should BMC engineers take up the job when there have been several attacks on them in the past by political workers for acting against illegal structures,” said Yashwant Dhuri, representative of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Engineers’ Union.

The team was supposed to start functioning from April 15, but the civic body is yet to fill the posts and appoint engineers for the same.

To expedite the new plan, the BMC, on April 20, issued a circular listing 12 civic sub engineers who had not joined duty for undertaking action against illegal constructions in the city. The circular also glaringly stated that their salaries for the month of April would be denied if they do not report to work within three days.