THANE: Long years of lawlessness and a reigning culture of illegal constructions were razed to the ground after a 650-plus joint team from the municipal corporation and the city police on Wednesday hammered the maze of 1,196 concrete structures which choked the roads and narrow alleys in the densely-populated Mumbra.
The haphazard extensions to semi-legal buildings along the 1.5 km stretch from Mumbra station upto the Darga which included 182 tin shops, 158 cement shops, 182 pan shops, 456 roofs, 68 chinese and chicken stalls, 64 garages, 80 tea stalls, 4 wooden logs and 2 shops which operated from containers were all reduced to the rubble during the day long operations.
Contrary to popular perception and apprehension of a violent retaliation, Mumbraites heaped praises on municipal commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal and police commissioner Param Bir Singh for waging a war against the encroachments here.
“Now we would have a wider roads, proper footpaths and some basic infrastructure. I’ve been living here since my birth and have seen how the township has transformed into a sprawling illegal constructions camp with every piece of open land encroached and lacking in basic sanitation, gardens parks. The roads and thoroughfares are choked with rickshaws and motorbikes there is no place to walk. However, now that the TMC has pulled down the encroachments four vehicles would easily be able to take the lanes and we have ample space to walk,” said Ali Akbar Rizvi, resident of Kausa.
The mammoth scale of the demolition undertaken on Wednesday was never been seen in this minority-dominated township where illegal constructions has been turned into an industry of sorts due to the population pressure and lack of space.
On Wednesday the TMC authorities armed with 15 JCB, 2 poclain machines, 300 workers, and more than 50 TMC officials, reached the station area which is densely constructed and encroached upon till Kausa.
The police was also in huge numbers, as a safety precaution, during the demolition drive. As many as 300 policemen and woman, accompanied by rapid action force, were stationed for bandobast at various parts of Mumbra city where the demolition took place. “People were cooperating and no one objected or showed any disapproval. There were no hurdles due to the locals support, the work was carried on smoothly,” said V. Patil, assistant commissioner of police.
TMC claim that their officials personally went to every shop and informed the owners about the demolition.
“We were informed about the demolition drive five days ago as a TMC official had come to inform us, but we weren’t given any legal notice. The announcement was made verbally. Also, when T Chandrashekhar was the commissioner, he had carried a similar demolition drive but on a smaller scale, in which few part of my shop was taken down,” said B.K.Chadda, owner of a general store.
In the demolition drive as many as 1196 illegal constructions were demolished. It.
While the owners and the shop employees had a frown on their faces, the residents were happy that such an action was taken.
The locals were gathered in huge numbers around the JCB, making it seems as if a celebrity had come to visit the city. So that the TMC officials are identified between the crowd, they had worn green bands on their arms. There were dust particles in the air and all the shops and windows of residents were closed. Many people who were on the Mumbra bypass flyover, were halting their vehicles to take a quick peek by leaning and seeing as to what was going on the road.
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