CM’s order "demolished"

MUMBAI, January 5: In a clear violation of Chief Minister Manohar Joshi's directives, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation carried out dem...

MUMBAI, January 5: In a clear violation of Chief Minister Manohar Joshi’s directives, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation carried out demolitions of illegal structures in nine civic wards today.

The CM had recently announced a stay on demolitions of unauthorised slums and structures in the city till the end of the ensuing mid-term polls. However, the BMC has gone ahead with its demolition drive and according to civic sources over 100 unauthorised have been demolished since January 1. Demolition on Monday were carried out at wards M (east), M (west) and F (south) with the help of the police.

According to Municipal Commissioner Girish Gokhale, the BMC “has not in any way” diluted its action against unauthorised structures. “The BMC has not received any communication from the state government on this matter, and the demolition of illegal structures is being carried out as specified in the office circular of April 1997,” he said.

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As per the circular, all ward officers have been given specific instructions to demolish illegal structures in their respective wards with the help of adequate police security. The initial `overdrive’ witnesssed several mass demolitions of slums and structures built in the city after the cut-off date of January 1, 1995, for the Slum Redevelopment Scheme.

However, following the demolition of illegal hutments at the Sanjay Gandhji National Park where 40 protestors were injured in a police lathi-charge on December 29, the state cabinet, with one eye firmly fixed on the forthcoming elections, decided to stay all demolitions till the end of elections. The stay was not applicable to any orders which were given by the High Court, or any other judicial or quasi-judicial authority.

BMC ward officer (removal of encroachments), S S Shinde, said that as of now, the demolition of slums is being carried out without a hitch. “The state government’s decision had only stayed mass demolitions, and we are expecting some directions from Mantralaya in this regard. But till such time the order is received, both ward-wise and centralised demolitions will continue,” Shinde stated.

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