quot;Thane builders are a law unto themselvesquot;

MUMBAI, Nov 27: Sometimes, T Chandrashekhar feels more like a prisoner of circumstances than a municipal commissioner. Still, the civic chie...

MUMBAI, Nov 27: Sometimes, T Chandrashekhar feels more like a prisoner of circumstances than a municipal commissioner. Still, the civic chief, who has held the reins of the Thane Municipal Corporation TMC since 1996, strides relentlessly on.

With 80 per cent of buildings in Thane city being unauthorised and all structures in areas like Mumbra and Kausa being illegal, the commissioner has a giant-size headache to nurse. If marching through the concrete jungle with a sledge-hammer could grind the civic chief8217;s problems to dust, Thane would have been bereft of sinking buildings and house collapses. But, says the commissioner, the real problem is the enemy within: corrupt corporators who patronise builders and a smattering of unscrupulous civic officials as well.

Ensconced in his Patlipada bungalow 8220;It is not unauthorised,8221; he winks, Chandrashekhar discussed the menace of illegal constructions, their genesis and solutions with Express Newsline. But, he warned, it will take radical measures tomake a difference. Excerpts from an interview:

How many constructions are legal in the TMC8217;s limits?

Of the total 1,05,000 buildings in Thane city, only 30,000 are authorised. This is alarming as the proportion is inverse.

Which are the areas dominated by illegal constructions?

Wagle Estate definitely. But in Mumbra and Kausa, 100 per cent of the constructions are unauthorised. Though the occupants are issued notices time and again, the tenants and owners easily obtain stay orders from court.

How do builders manage to evade the law?

Builders never register with the TMC. They only prepare agreements to satisfy their clients. And they rarely register buildings in their own names to avoid taking responsibility when problems crop up. They are so brazen they even have their areas demarcated, just like in the movies, where the villains establish areas to collect haftas.

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But aren8217;t the local authorities also responsible for patronising builders?

Basically, thecorporators are responsible. But yes, my boys too have played a part. However, they have been acting under pressure from the corporators, who are hand-in-glove with the builders.

After the Sairaj collapse, I suspended a deputy municipal commissioner and also the ward officer concerned. If any other civic officials are found to be involved they will also be shown the door. Unfortunately, I cannot take any action against elected representatives but I have sent a list of 40 corrupt corporators to the state government, urging action against them.

What about alternative accommodation for occupants of unauthorised structures?

It sounds funny, but Maharashtra is the first state in India where people who purchase unauthorised flats are given extra FSI or alternative authorised flats. It is not feasible to offer houses to these people at the tax-payers8217; cost. Though illegal occupants claim they pay taxes by way of electricity and water charges, they are not in our record books. Why don8217;t they realise thatthe houses they purchase are illegal?

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What about the occupants of the 300 buildings whose demolition you have ordered? They will be housed in transit camps at Vartak Nagar and Kolshet areas and if the government sanctions it, they will be provided with alternative accommodation. I am only trying to save their lives. But if they go around staging morchas against the proposed demolitions at the whims and fancies of politicians, it is they who will have to pay with their lives.

Imagine sitting under a fan which is likely to fall at any moment. If you don8217;t move in spite of being advised by your friends, you will have to face the consequences. There are only two ways, either repair or remove the fan.