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Journalism of Courage
Demolition of illegal structures in Mumbai, especially in the suburbs, is a Herculean job more likely to invite trouble than praise. That8217;s what deputy municipal commissioner DMC Chandrasekhar Rokde has realised four months since he took charge of zone III. He has been in the news ever since he left the police force to join the BMC; on Wednesday last, he was at the centre of attention, accused of avoiding local residents 8212; led by Congress MLC Krupa Shanker Singh 8212; who had apparently come to appraise him of their civic problems.
Talking to Express Newsline at his office in Bandra W, Rokde spoke in detail about the drama that took place in the ward office and outlined steps being taken by the administration to tackle the encroachment problem.
It8217;s not true to say I avoided them. I was busy in a meeting with the councillors and municipal staff, so Iasked Singh to wait for some time. Even the councillors were of the opinion that I should meet the delegation after the meeting. I first sent the ward officer to meet them, but that didn8217;t help. Finally, after the meeting, I asked Singh to come with a small group to meet me, but they the gathering insisted I should address all of them. I refused. As they were behaving in an unruly manner, I decided to leave without addressing them.
Is it true that Singh had obtained an appointment with you?
This is not true. I have never refused to meet anybody coming forward with civic problems. The ward office wasn8217;t aware of the delegation8217;s visit. Also, permission had not been obtained from either the local police station or the ward office to get the delegation to the ward office.
How do you justify your departure from the scene? Shouldn8217;t you have waited and sorted out the matter?
If the people had come to discuss civic problems, I would have heard them. When I asked a small group to come to myoffice on the first floor, they refused. Instead, all of them barged into the ward officer8217;s cabin, roughed him up and also another assistant engineer. This is not the way people come to discuss any issue. It is very clear that they had not come with the intention of telling me about their problems.
Do you suspect Singh is trying to malign your image due to large-scale demolitions carried out in the zone under your supervision?
I have never spoken to, or met, Singh till date. I don8217;t suspect any foul play. I have heard that the delegation consisted of people who have been affected due to the demolition drive undertaken by BMC. They were here to intimidate us. Till today, Singh has not written a single letter to any of the officials in the ward regarding civic problems.
This is the second time this ward office has been attacked. What, according to you, are the reasons?
This is because the maximum number of demolitions have been carried out in this ward. In the last one month, more than1,500 structures have been demolished. We are demolishing about 150 structures every day. With a large number of people affected, they are bound to go to a political leader who makes it into an issue. And these kind of incidents affect the functioning of the staff.
What measures do you think necessary to ensure these incidents aren8217;t repeated?
I have written to the commissioner of police asking for security for all ward offices. With demolitions in full swing, there is every possibility of these incidents being repeated at other offices. Also, BMC should tighten security and evolve a new system whereby visitors cannot just barge into any of the civic offices and create a ruckus.
What action have you demanded against the unruly mob?
I have demanded in writing to the commissioner of police that he should hold an identification parade, so that the municipal staff can identify the trouble-makers. This will also ensure nobody can get away by harming staff on duty and trespassing municipaloffices.
What8217;s the best way of tackling the problem of illegal constructions?
The administration has finally taken serious note of the problem. Demolition is not a fool-proof solution, because it has been noticed that structures have come up again after being demolished not once or twice, but five to ten times. We are now thinking of forming mohallah committees and mobilising people who will take care of vacant plots in their areas, especially footpaths outside their societies. Footpaths which are very wide and not put to much use will be narrowed down. Such an attempt has been already successful at Pali Hill. To keep playgrounds and gardens free of encroachments, we have decided to hand them over to schools and industrial houses, so that they can maintain them.
