Mumbai: Cuffe Parade Residents Protest Rampant Encroachments, Blame Collector And BMC

The Cuffe Parade residents are up in arms against the unauthorized encroachments mushrooming in the area, especially on the seashore alongside Captain Prakash Pethe Marg. “The development of illegal structures on the seashore is not only a security threat but a nuisance. The rampant encroachments thrive due to the Collector’s negligence and BMC’s indifference, allowing the unauthorized structures to flourish and expand vertically. While citizens’ complaints fall on deaf ears,” Cuffe Parade Residents Association’s (CPRA) President, Laura Dsouza said.

The land alongside Prakash Pethe Marg falls under the Mumbai City Collector who is responsible for ensuring that illegal structures do not mushroom. However, the CPRA claims that the BMC’s A ward office is not cooperative enough when it comes to providing the necessary machinery for demolition action.

“Last month after numerous complaints against encroachments in the sea, the Collector sent his team along with the police to raze the structures. However, the BMC sent men with chisels and hammers to break a solid concrete structure. Is this a joke? They had to abort the action and since then no one has turned up,” Dsouza said.

Deputy Collector Prashant Panvelkar said the BMC cooperates when it comes to providing machinery for demolition. “However, during last month’s action at Budhwar Park the JCB could not reach the spot in waters through narrow lanes. We demolish temporary structures that are unauthorized. However, old and authorized structures cannot be demolished. Panvelkar said that it is true the development along the seashore is a security threat, however, there needs to be a policy decision to rehabilitate the residents.

The collector's office told FPJ that in the last six months, the encroachments removal cell has razed over 70 unauthorized structures in Budhwar Park and nearby locality.

The CRPA, however, says that if the authorities are vigilant enough, no encroachments will happen in the first place. The departments later keep passing the buck against one another and general public suffers.