No action taken against illegal buildings in Mumbai
Mumbai: The Maharashtra government seem not to be bothered about the issue of illegal buildings as no measures have been taken to implement a March 2009 order to set up special civic police stations and special courts across 22 municipal corporations to regulate unauthorized construction.
Over 70 people lost their lives in a recent incident in which an illegal building in Mumbra collapsed. It is high time that the Maharashtra government should take proper action on the unauthorised constructions in the state. An opposition leader said that, if the Thane Municipal Corporation had been alert, the Mumbra tragedy could have been avoided.
Four years ago, in order to curb the illegal buildings rapidly spreading across the state, the urban development department led by the then CM Ashok Chavan had drafted the comprehensive plan. But the Maharashtra government seem not to be bothered about the issue.
It was proposed that a special task force for a municipal corporation would be headed by an IPS officer of the rank of additional commissioner and would comprise 1,104 police personnel. A special court presided over by an additional sessions judge or additional district judge was also proposed.
Till now, no municipal corporation has set up either the task force or the special court, said Urban development secretary Shrikant Singh.
As per the plan, a civic body would pass a resolution for setting up the special task force and court and submit it to the urban development department which would further send it to the home department for creation of new posts. The proposal for the special court would be submitted to the high court for approval, explained a senior official.
But when the government decided on the policy, it had announced that the civic bodies would have to bear the expenses of the special task force and special court, he added.
The police did not seem to co-operate during demolition of illegal constructions. So, the policy mooted a special task force at the disposal of the municipal commissioner and special court.
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