Hill resort faces assault by illegal structures

MAHABALESHWAR, June 4: Two seasons have gone by. The picturesque hill station of Mahabaleshwar has witnessed high drama, first with its residents rising up furiously in protest against tree felling 8211; remember the self-immolation bid in January 1997? Followed by the otherwise tranquil town being flustered by the writ petition filed in Bombay High Court by an environmental organisation, the Bombay Environmental Action Group BEAG.Result? Mahabaleshwar continues to helplessly witness the brazen assault on its pristine glory, court directives notwithstanding. Bricks are gleefully laden giving rise to more and more unauthorised buildings, thanks to the Mahabaleshwar Hill Station Municipality that has taken the convenient path of lenient interpretation to the Development Control rules of Mahabaleshwar.And one can see more ugliness around. Whether, it is the unauthorised use of basements, the illegal rounds of headloading or the crass stalls that have become an eyesore on picturesque points, the damage is on therise.

Also, no action is evident over the excess land in leasehold properties. And amazing how court orders have literally been ignored. In their order, Chief Justice M B Shah and Justice R P Desai on June 23, 1997 appointed a committee of officials and experts to look into illegal constructions and deforestation in the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani region. By the same order, they directed the authorities 8220;to take immediate action to prevent construction of buildings of violation of any statutory provisions 8220;to see that violation of bye-laws or the rules is immediately prevented by issuing necessary orders and directions.8221;

Another sore point in the picturesque hill resort is the stalls. The chief conservator of forest had given an assurance that when the season begins after the monsoons, stalls at various points, which flaunt garish entertainment games and sell food will not be permitted from October 1998 onwards.

No order has been issued so far though Dr P N Munde has an answer albeit encouraging: 8220;Wepropose to give licenses to stall owners, on the condition that they maintain strict cleanliness. Violation would amount to cancellation of license.8221; These problems are compounded by the issue of the non-resumption of leased land for commercial purposes 8212; there are about are about 113 of them 8211; holding 234 hectares, that is as much as 2.3 sq kilometers of prime land at the hill station.

Like all the other stories, here too no action by the government so far and the picture is Mahabaleshwar continues to be a gloomy one, with no one managing to actually rescue it.