Nalasopara demolition will leave around 6,000 people homeless

The Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation VVCMC on Thursday began a crackdown on the 41 illegal residential buildings which were constructed on a huge plot reserved for a dumping ground and sewage treatment plant STP following a court order More than 6000 people will be affected by the demolition drive leaving them to stay in the open without any shelterA local activist from Nalasopara Terence Hendriques said ldquoThe unauthorised buildings were constructed by the former corporator Sitaram Gupta who was arrested last year by the Economic Wing Offences EOW of Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar MBVV police Gupta had illegally grabbed a 60acre plot nearly two decades ago to construct these unauthorised buildings which are being razed todayrdquoAerial view of the buildings that will be demolishedldquoA total of seven buildings were razed in the Vasant Nagari area of Nalasopara East on the first day of the demolition drive that was conducted in the presence of police personnelrdquo said Sanjay Herwade the additional Municipal Commissioner in VVCMC ldquoA total of 53 families had been staying in these seven buildings We first safely removed them from their houses and demolished the illegal structures which were unauthorisedrdquo Herwade saidWhen asked if these families have been rehabilitated Herwade said ldquoThe court has not asked us to rehabilitate them We have got the order to demolish the unauthorised residential structures We have no housing stock in the VVCMC area to rehabilitate themrdquo ldquoHowever we have written to the Urban Development Department to know if we can do something to rehabilitate the families whose residential buildings are being razedrdquo Herwade saidThe land mafia had allegedly grabbed a 60acre plot comprising 30acre government land and a 30acre private plot when the property was under the control of City And Industrial Development Corporation Of Maharashtra Ltd CIDCO One of the owners of the private plot had filed a writ petition in Bombay HC that ordered the demolition of the illegal structures The buyers of the flat intervened and told the court that lsquothey have purchased the units in these buildings from the developerrsquoSite earmaked for public workHowever the HC said ldquoThe relief they seek cannot be claimed by seeking intervention Secondly the learned Counsel for the intervenors could not show that the buildings they occupy were constructed with any permission from any authorities Admittedly the buildings have been placed on site reserved for setting up a sewage treatment plant and a dumping ground The sewage treatment plant and a dumping ground are in fact essential civic amenities and such land cannot be used by any party to the detriment of the civic interest of all others in the localityrdquoAfter pulling up VVCMC for their inaction against the illegal construction in its jurisdiction HC had directed the civic body not to execute the demolition order until September 30 However the intervenor further approached the Supreme Court in the special leave petition but they did not get any relief ldquoThe site which is earmarked for a public project cannot be occupied by unauthorised buildingsrdquo read the Supreme Court orderOccupants can sue developerThe high court in the impugned order had observed that the occupants are at liberty to sue the developer The occupants are primarily concerned with loss of shelterrdquo ldquoIn these circumstances we are of the view that notwithstanding the dismissal of the Special Leave Petition the occupants are at liberty to approach the Government Authorities for a commensurate scheme of rehabilitation In the special facts of this case the authorities should explore the possibility of rehabilitation of the affected occupants However it is made clear that the authorities are at liberty to go ahead with the demolition of the illegal construction The feasibility of rehabilitation should be considered independent of the demolition action by the authoritiesrdquo read the Supreme Court orderldquoThe builders and government officials were never booked in a case Only the poor people are at the receiving end Where will they go Why no action was taken against the officials when the land mafia and bogus builders were encroaching upon the huge land to construct residential buildingsrdquo said Hendriques