Illegal room 8212; The plot thickens

MUMBAI, July 4: Mystery surrounds the construction of a room on a plot along Hanuman Road at Vile Parle E in March this year. While the...

MUMBAI, July 4: Mystery surrounds the construction of a room on a plot along Hanuman Road at Vile Parle E in March this year. While the plot has been reserved for a playground in the Development Plan DP, the ward officer is clueless about the purpose of the illegal room.

When Alka Chandewar, leader of a citizens8217; group Jan Jagruti Manch, complained in early May to the ward officer, Suresh Upadhyay K-east, he replied May 11 claiming that the room occupying about 500 sq ft was constructed using the emergency works fund of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC and it would be used to run a balwadi playschool.Nearly a month later June 16, the ward officer wrote to her again stating that the room was constructed by the BMC to be used for some purpose unspecified in future according to the guidelines of Maharashtra Town Planning Act.

Meanwhile, the local corporator Parag Alavani BJP claimed that he had obtained the necessary permission to construct the room and provided the funds too.8220;It would be used as gymnasium,8221; he informed adding that later a sports library would also be added since the plot has been reserved for a playground8217;. During the construction, local MLA Abhiram Singh BJP and Alavani had put up a board outside the plot stating that it is being developed as a playground. The plot itself resembles a dumping ground due to neglect. Alavani informed that an earlier attempt at developing the plot was stalled after a scrap dealer who occupies about 500 sq ft of land in the south corner obtained a stay order from the Bombay High Court against his eviction. This dealer has been running his business since early 1950s.In September 1994, the BMC had handed over the plot to the adjoining Guru Prasad Co-operative Housing Society to be maintained as a playground. In a letter on April 13, 1996, the ward officer urged the society to fence the plot to guard against trespassers and unauthorised occupation. However, while it transferred the responsibility of protecting the land to thehousing society the BMC had failed to clear the space occupied by the scrap dealer.

When Chadewar complained to the Deputy Municipal Corporation DMC Chandrasekhar Rokde, he forwarded the complaint to the Deputy Commissioner of Police, zone VIII on May 27 suggesting that persons involved in the construction of the illegal structure be booked under the Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Persons Act MPDA. No action has been taken yet though Rokde claimed that investigations into the matter are on. Despite repeated attempts the ward officer was not available for comment. even after repeated attempts. According to a senior civic officer there are increasing number of similar cases involving construction without planning. Gradually, when protests die down, they are misused, he added pointing out as an example a police chowki constructed on a plot near Sathe garden in Vile Parle. Later, the ward officer handed over the plot to a private party to run a canteen claiming that the police did not need any chowkyin the area.