Ulhas DMCs attacked

MUMBAI, JULY 15: In the seventh instance of attacks on Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation UMC officers in six months, two deputy municipa...

MUMBAI, JULY 15: In the seventh instance of attacks on Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation UMC officers in six months, two deputy municipal commissioners DMCs were attacked with iron rods while they were surveying flooded areas near the Shahad flyover in Ulhasnagar Camp 1 at noon today. Both have been seriously injured and are undergoing treatment at Central Hospital in Ulhasnagar Camp II.

Following reports of over four-and-a-half-feet water-logging in the slums around the Shahad Phatak area, DMC headquarters Jugansingh Mohansingh Dhakare and DMC in-charge of the anti-encroachment department N A Nagrale had gone to the area to survey the situation. 8220;Near the octroi naka, where the road is just wide enough for one vehicle to pass, a tanker and a jeep were parked in a line, blocking our way,8221; explained Dhakare. 8220;We asked Amir Khan, the driver who owns both vehicles, to move them aside, but he refused.8221;

An altercation ensued and Amir Khan 48 along with his sons Shabir Khan 16 and Rahim Khan 10 attacked Nagrale with iron rods on the head. 8220;While the other staff with us fled in fear, I ran to his rescue, only to be beaten up myself,8221; said Dhakare, adding, 8220;it was only when the mob around intervened that he was pulled away. Else, he would have killed us, as he had threatened to.8221;

Both the DMCs were rushed to the Central hospital, Ulhasnagar. There Dhakare had to undergo 4 stitches while Nagrale had to undergo 7 stitches due to the deep gashes they have suffered on the head.

Congested slums on Shahad W extend from the flyover till the basin of the Waldhuni nullah. Rising waters of the nullah inundate the slum every year. quot;We had to gone to check because of reports that the shacks had come up bang below the flyover atop manholes,quot; pointed out Nagrale who added, quot;ex-mayor Ganesh Chaudhary had complained to the offcer-on special duty in the UMC R D Shinde about the encroachments and the illegaly parked vehicles which were creating an obstruction in movement.quot; UMC mayor Hardas Makhija visited the officers in the hospital. BJP leader in UMC Lal Punjabi and officials also came visiting.

PI Arvind M Salve of the Ulhasnagar police who is handling the case said that efforts were on to arrest the trio who have been charged with attempt to murder and obstructing officials on government duty among other things. An offence has been registered under Sec 307, 353, 332, 34 and 504 of the IPC and Ulhasnagar police station in-charge Vilas Lokhande is supervising the investigations. Following their conditions turning critical Dhakare and Nagrale were shifted to the Vishal hospital in Ulhasnagar and Mamata hospital in Dombivili respectively.