Demolitions continue in Ulhas

ULHASNAGAR, July 17: The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation UMC anti-encroachment squad cracked down on illegal structures for the second...

ULHASNAGAR, July 17: The Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation UMC anti-encroachment squad cracked down on illegal structures for the second day today, demolishing more than a hundred commercial establishments to clear the area stretching from Gol Maidan to Nehru Chowk.

8220;We have been in touch with additional commissioner T S Chandrashekhar and he is of the opinion that the demolition drive should not be abandoned,8221; officer-on-special-duty OSD R D Shinde told The Indian Express.

Unlike the single and double-storeyed slums in Camp 1 targeted by the UMC crew yesterday, the structures brought down in the five-hour operation today were mainly multi-storeyed, the illegal extensions stretching out to claim the roads in the already congested market area.

And, even as the shopkeepers whose stalls were being razed, pleaded with Shinde to call off his men, other bystanders were jubilant. 8220;I had never dreamt that the roads in Ulhasnagar could actually be made wider,8221; said Ramdev Singh, an autorickshawdriver.

Among those who protested what they called 8220;indiscriminate demolitions8221; were UMC Mayor Hardas Makhija himself, whose ward includes more than half the market area.

8220;While we are all for widening of roads and beautification of the city this will not be allowed to be done at the cost of citizens,8221; Makhija said. A two-storeyed readymade clothes store owned by him at Nehru Chowk has been marked for demolition. Makhija urged Chandrashekhar to grant him a reprieve after his requests to Shinde went unheeded.

The Thane civic commissioner, who was given additional charge of the UMC less than a week ago, accordingly agreed to give the owners of illegal constructions 15 days to demolish the structures themselves. The owners, for their part, must give the UMC an affidavit promising not to move court to seek a stay on the demolition.

Story continues below this ad

8220;Since the area that will have to be covered by the demolition drive is huge, we thought providing the people with this alternative would be better,8221; Chandrashekhar toldThe Indian Express later.

However, 8220;this does not mean that the drive will not be continued in other areas,8221; he added.