With most of Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation’s (MBMC) resources and machinery devoted to combat and contain the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, the notorious land mafia has seized the opportunity to carry out illegal constructions in the twin-city.
Sensing the seriousness and consequences of an alarming rise in the number of illegal constructions, a demolition team finally swung into action and razed a double-storeyed under construction structure which was being built on the Dhaavgi Road in Uttan.
Notably, the demolition drive was personally supervised by deputy civic chief- Ajit Muthe. The civic personnel razed the structure with the help of two JCB’s amid tight security cover on Tuesday. However, the civic administration had mysteriously shied away from registering criminal offences under the relevant sections of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act against the fly-by-night builder and contractor involved in the massive illegal constructions.
“I have directed the concerned ward officer to file a police complaint. The drive to weed out illegal constructions will continue.” said Muthe. “We have not yet received any complaint from the civic administration,” confirmed a senior officer from the Uttan coastal police station.
Already fallen prey to haphazard unauthorized development, the picturesque coastal belt has been witnessing a rather unusual boom in illegal construction activities as unscrupulous elements have chanced upon the opportunity to denude hills and destroy greenery to facilitate unbridled and unplanned development in the region. The chawl mafia has earned notoriety for speedy construction of single room tenements which involves less investment, but fetches more profit. People start staying in these tenements which are readied in three to four days’ time so that they cannot be evicted and buyers can avail court's protection to avoid demolition.
