DNA:
Mumbai: Wednesday, 16 September 2015.
The five
owners were served notices under Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP)
Act, to submit relevant documents. A case ensued in the co-operatives court
between residents and the accused for a year.
Year-long
protests of close to 2,000 residents at Kurla-based Kamgar Nagar against
illegally erected mobile towers, have finally borne fruit. The BMC on Wednesday
will begin demolition of illegal mobile towers in Kurla (West).
The residents
had dragged five row house owners/occupants GD Wavikar, PK Singh, Ganesh
Gavade, PA Gawkar and Sharad Ghughe, to co-operatives court accusing them of
installing mobile towers atop their posh row houses, without permissions.
Gavade is the general secretary of the housing society. Dna had reported the
alleged illegalities on July 10, 2014 'Row house mobile towers irk locals.'
BMC's office
of assistant commissioner in 'L' Ward of Kurla (West), in a letter to Nehru
Nagar police station said, "This office has arranged the demolition
programme of the unauthorised mobile towers along with equipment required to
erect the towers on Wednesday." Dna has a copy of the letter.
The five
owners were served notices under Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP)
Act, to submit relevant documents. A case ensued in the co-operatives court
between residents and the accused for a year.
"The BMC
has gone ahead with razing down the mobile towers after the conclusion was
arrived that the towers were illegal," said an engineer from 'L' ward.
As per
Section 55 of the MRTP Act, a person has to remove temporary unauthorised
structure erected in the premises within fifteen days after receiving the
notice and the decision of the civic body in such cases is final.Of 384 row
houses in the society, five – 14D, 21D, 27D, 44D and 80C have mobile towers.
"We have
called for adequate police protection in the likelihood of any resistance from
the occupants," said a senior BMC official.
The residents
had filed a Right To Information (RTI) report with the BMC asking for a list of
approved mobile towers in 'L' Ward. "These five towers did not figure in
the list of 33 towers received from the BMC. They were illegally erected,"
said Avinash Bhate, a resident.
"According
to a co-operatives department notification, prior to installation, a meeting
where there is attendance of 70% members is supposed to be called. A nod of 70%
society members that attend is mandatory. The towers were put up in June 2011,
but the notification is applicable in retrospect," said Dilip Abhyankar,
another resident.
The mobile
towers were erected by GTL Infrastructure and Indus Towers. According to the
BMC's survey in 2013, 3,631 (76%) of the 4,776 mobile towers in the metropolis
were found to be erected illegally.
Caption Tower
owners start dismantling their equipment before the demolition
.JPG)
.JPG)
