Regularise Thane’s illegal structures on lines of Ulhasnagar: Pawar

At the same time,Pawar said strict action should be initiated first against public representatives,including MPs,MLAs and corporators,who have carried out illegal construction and allowed the same in their area.

A letter by Thane chief conservator of forests had stated that NCP MLA from Thane,Jitendra Awhad,abused and threatened forest officials trying to demolish unauthorised structures in Mumbra-Diva belt. “First,demolish all illegal constructions carried out by politicians,be it by Awhad or anyone else,” Pawar said.

He said all illegal structures should be categorised on priority,those found structurally weak should be demolished and people living in them should be given alternative accommodation immediately to avert a Mumbra-like incident.

Over 70 people died and several were injured after a seven-storeyed illegal building in Mumbra’s Lucky Compound collapsed last week.

While Pawar came out strongly against politicians,he said he would not put a large part of the blame on Thane Municipal Commissioner R A Rajeev or other officials for the Mumbra tragedy.

Following a High Court order of April 2005,asking Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) to demolish 855 illegal buildings in its municipal limits,the state government had come out with an ordinance that sought to regularise these structures. The HC had then said UMC’s case should not act as a precedent for other corporations.