20 illegal temples along Belapur Hill; notices served

City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has served notices on about 20 illegal temple structures that have come up at Parsik Hills in Belapur node as activists have raised the red flag with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde apprehending landslides endangering the people and properties around the area.

Responding to NatConnect Foundation’s concern over a 9-year-old issue, Shinde has directed Aseem Gupta, principal secretary of Urban development-1 to take up the issue. “We have an email from the CMO addressed to Gupta,” NatConnect director B N Kumar said adding, “We have nothing against the temples and the religious groups can approach for legal plots and worship.”

Meanwhile, CIDCO officials told local activists that notices have been served on 19 unauthorised temple structures even as some more construction has been noticed along the hill. Kumar pointed out that encroachment of the hill has been holding since 2015. The then CIDCO vice chairman and MD Sanjay Bhatia had promised action.

The local citizenry former Save Belapur Hill forum, NatConnect reached out to CIDCO joint MD Kailash Shinde, who directed the activists to the city planner’s chief vigilance officer Suresh Mengade. The CIDCO has now confirmed to NatConnect that a committee has been asked to investigate the issue. The ball is in the planning department’s court. Residents of Kalpataru Cooperative

Housing Society pointed out that CIDCO has not acted so far despite a landslide in 2016.

Kalpataru society, one of the areas affected by the encroachments and loud noise pollution, has been corresponding with CIDCO for a long time. “We hardly see any results despite our united efforts,” said activist Aditi Lahiri. “In May 2012 itself, the then secretary of Kalpataru CHS wrote to the concerned Ward officer regarding levelling of the hills behind Kalpataru,” she said referring to the long-drawn issue.

One temple has been built on 10-acre, which is not a small area, the Kalpataru letter to CIDCO said. Activist Kapil Kulkarni said the religious places play loud music, which disturbs the children preparing for examinations and patients living in the societies around them. “We have complained to the police, which assured us of action against the nuisance,” he said. CIDCO has failed to act in time, the residents argued.