Illegal construction: 11 schools get 3 months to regularise structures

Out of the 11 schools, three schools which are located on private land had been served a notice from the municipal corporation for illegal construction. The other eight schools accepted that they had carried out illegal constructions and sought time to file an application before the relevant authority for regularisation.

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“What education will you (schools) impart to students when your own schools are illegal? What are you going to teach your own students?,” observed the court, adding that because the students had already been admitted and the academic session has begun they were willing to “show indulgence” and allow these schools to apply for regularisation. The court granted the five schools three months’ time to file their applications. It added that on failure to do so, the BMC will be free to take action of demolition.

North Mumbai MP Gopal Shetty who filed an intervention application on behalf of “35, 000 students” was asked by court what he had done “all these years when illegal constructions mushroomed”. Shetty’s lawyer informed the court that since 2014, Shetty had written letters to the civic body raising the issue but nothing has been done about it. “These schools are teaching nothing less than 35,000 students in the area of Malad,” the application stated. The court has kept the petition for further hearing on July 29.

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