Cidco razes illegal structures at Airoli

Planning authority demolishes seven shanties built under high-tension electric cables at Sectors 3 and 10, families homeless

AIROLI: Continuing its crackdown on illegal buildings, City and Industrial Development Corporation ( Cidco) demolished around seven shanties in Airoli on Thursday. In a similar drive, the planning authority also razed an illegal structure at Sector 18 in New Panvel.

After demolishing 725 shanties in Sector 17, 20 and Neva garden area of Airoli on December 3, the planning authority targeted shanties built under hightension electric cables in Sector 3 and 10 on Thursday.

“We demolished six shanties in Sector 10 area apart from other encroachments like nurseries and fish ponds. One more structure was demolished in Sector 3,” said a Cidco official on condition of anonymity.

“All these structures faced grave danger as they were located under the high tension wires,” said the official.

“The structures were constructed on Cidco land without having any land title and development permission from the planning authority. The Cidco removed the encroachments according to due process of law,” said the official.

The action follows the orders of the high court and directions of Yogesh Mhase, additional collector and Cidco’s chief controller of unauthorised construction (CCUC) to take stringent action against the illegal constructions in Navi Mumbai.

The demolition led to distress among families that were rendered homeless.

“The land was gifted to my grandfather in 1956 and passed on to my father. My parents lived here. We have all the original documents and our ownership is recorded with the revenue department,” said Suresh Kumbhar, a displaced dweller.

“Cidco had served us notice twice on the basis of bogus documents. It has ignored all our documents. We never sold our land and it was never acquired by Cidco,” said Kumbhar.

He also said he was not given enough notice period to move his belongings in time.

The drive was undertaken with the support of police officers from the Rabale police station.

The Cidco has planned nodewise demolitions, starting from

Airoli.

For the first phase, Airoli has been chosen where a total of 31 structures will be demolished.

Areas such as Gothivli, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane, Bonkode, Kopri, Juhugaon, Sanpada and Nerul continue to be hotspots of illegal constructions.

While Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is yet to take action against illegal structures, Cidco has already begun demolitions.

Cidco had published a list of 219 illegal structures in August. Of these around 138 are in NMMC jurisdiction. The rest are in Uran and Panvel regions.

BACHCHAN KUMAR An under-construction building at Sector 18 in New Panvel being pulled down on Thursday as Cidco continued its crackdown against illegal constructions.

BACHCHAN KUMAR (Above) A bulldozer razes a slum at Sector 3, Airoli, on Thursday. (Below) Displaced slum dwellers out on the road with their belongings after their hutment was demolished.