Illegal encroachments pose threat to life and limb

Representation pic

An activist has alleged that about 50 commercial establishments along the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road have illegal floors that their owners built on the pretext of being affected by road-widening work. The shops now include an illegal pub and food outlets that are unsafe and overcrowded on weekends, claimed the activist.

When the road was widened two years ago, some shops whose area was reduced were given permission by officials to add a floor to make up for the lost space. But shops that were unaffected have an illegal extra floor.

While a top Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official has been quoted in the report as stating that he was ready to crack down on offenders and would be investigating why action had not been taken earlier, the situation, in a nutshell, captures much of what happens across the city.

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Illegal encroachments, which include adding floors, happen almost overnight in clusters in commercial and residential spaces. We suddenly see extra floors spring up in tenements despite their owners lacking permission to build them. Such activities take place with impunity and the perpetrators have little fear of the law.

Sometimes, structures are augmented because a family has expanded and this is the only way to house everyone. A loft is often built and rented out by a homeowner, who charges people for staying there.

In commercial establishments, a loft or floor is added to store goods or even accommodate workers at times.

Besides flouting the law, these additions are extremely dangerous, as has been witnessed during fires or in other emergency situations.

Investigations into the matter must yield results, not just in Mumbai but everywhere where this is happening.