BMC begins to deconstruct8217; arcade

MUMBAI, SEPT 5: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has started demolishing an unauthorised two-storey building behind National ...

MUMBAI, SEPT 5: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has started demolishing an unauthorised two-storey building behind National College at old Khar Village, Bandra, following the lifting of the stay on its demolition.

The City Civil Court on Tuesday last August 31, 1999 dismissed a notice of motion and vacated the stay brought by the building8217;s owner Anil Mehta who was constructing a shopping arcade having 25 shops with huge display windows. The building had no legal sanction and was being built in the Gaothan area where construction activity has been forbidden under civic rules. Opposing the demolition, Mehta contended before court that his structure had existed since 1964 and he was merely repairing it, civic officials informed.

A local resident Edwin Britto and his wife May had opposed the construction activity barely 6 feet away from their century-old cottage in this Gaothan area, a predominant Catholic locality, and filed a suit in the City Civil Court for its demolition.

Demolitionwork, which was first started on May 15 this year despite alleged threats to the Brittos from the builders and the area8217;s anti-social elements, was stopped after the owner moved court on May 19 and brought a stay on the grounds that the mandatory notice of demolition was not served on them.

The court had ordered that status quo be maintained until the notice of motion was heard. However, inspite of the stay, the builders put scaffoldings around the structure and started work. Complaints of contempt of court were then made by the Brihanmumbai Corporation BMC and the Brittos, and a station diary entry was registered by Khar police.

Construction work on the site, which originally housed a small cottage with two garment wholesalers, began on March 21, 1999 and had been proceeding round-the-clock with the use of steel girders instead of reinforced cement concrete RCC frame. The construction activity reportedly had the blessings of local politicians. Due to the round-the-clock construction work and thedisturbance caused by the noise at night, the Brittos complained to Khar police but were allegedly received by rude officers. 8220;The builders not only harassed and warned us against complaining to the police, they threatened us twice inside the police station. Mobile-wielding men were directing police what to do,8221; Britto alleged.

However, the efforts of the Brittos were successful because officers like the Additional Commissioner of Police K L Prasad former area zone VII DCP and Additional Commissioner of Police north-west Rakesh Maria looked through the role of the local police in abetting the construction.

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Maria has instituted an inquiry into the inaction of the Khar police to put a stop the construction despite several complaints.

The H-West ward sub-engineer A V Gurav, who is overseeing the demolition, told Express Newsline that the structure was built in a hurry without giving a thought to proper specifications and alignment. 8220;Some of the beams are hanging loose without any support,8221;he said.