The Indian Express: Mumbai:
Thursday, 10 September 2020.
While
BMC on Wednesday demolished unauthorised constructions at Kangana Ranaut’s
office premises in Bandra’s Pali Hill within 24 hours of issuing a stop work
notice to the actor, it had taken action in only 10.47 per cent of the
complaints of illegal constructions it had received from 2016 to 2019.
According
to data received under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, between January 2016
to July 2019, BMC has received over 94,000 complaints regarding illegal
constructions. However, it has taken action in only over 5,400 cases.
To
tackle illegal and unauthorised constructions across the city, BMC had in 2016
started Removal of Encroachment Tracking Management System (RETMS).
Activist
Shakeel Shaikh had filed an RTI appeal in 2019 seeking information on
complaints received by BMC regarding illegal construction and what action had
been taken on them.
The RTI
reply shows that between January 2016 and July 2019, RETMS had received 94,851
complaints on illegal construction. Among them, 42,697 complaints were related
to similar cases. Of the remaining 52,124 complaints received, BMC took action
on 5,462 – in only 10.47 per cent cases, demolition work was undertaken.
“The BMC
took prompt action in Kangana’s case but when will action be taken against
other illegal constructions flourishing in the city? In many cases, BMC
officials do not demolish the illegal structures but only show that it had been
done on paper,” said Shaikh.
“In the
last few years, many buildings have collapsed in the city and in almost all
cases, illegal construction was one of the reasons,” he added.
When
contacted, BJP MLA Ameet Satam said BMC should show the same swiftness in case
of other illegal constructions. “BMC’s action (on Ranaut’s office) is shameful.
The civic body skipped the due process of law and demolished Ranauat’s office.
Many buildings at Bandra Band stand have illegal constructions, when will BMC
take action against them?” he added.
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