NMMC razes 30 illegal structures

NAVI MUMBAI: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has demolished around 30 unauthorised structures across the city during the lockdown. Apart from demolishing the structures, the civic body also registered FIRs under Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act against the concerned people.

More such structures would be demolished this month, a senior officer said. After seven people died in a slab collapse incident in Ulhasnagar on May 28, the civic chief Abhijit Bangar has ordered his officials to go hard on the unauthorised buildings.

“In April and May, we demolished 38 structures that were developed without taking due permission from the authorities or by violating the other norms. Of these, 30 structures were demolished during the lockdown,” a civic official said.

NMMC first served notice to illegal constructions and gave them a time frame of 32 days to demolish those constructions on their own.

“If they don’t do that within the given time frame, we file FIR against them and demolish the structures. In Navi Mumbai, this menace is rampant in the peripheral areas of the gaons and gaothans, which are technically known as gaothan extension,” the official said.

“When buildings are constructed illegally, the developers try to finish the project and sell the flats as soon as possible. Thus, they don’t pay much attention to the quality of the constructions. Therefore, chances of such buildings falling down are higher,” he added.

According to the norms, the officials from the concerned departments of NMMC should keep conducting surveys in the city to get an idea of the new illegal constructions that come up every few months.

Demolition of an unauthorised structure on in Navi Mumbai.