THANE: The Thane municipal corporation will now invoke Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities (MPDA) Act against those found involved in illegal constructions in the city and also book landlords if any demolished structure is being reconstructed, commissioner Abhijit Bangar said.
Bangar made the announcement while scheduling a stringent month long drive against illegal buildings in the corporation limits starting January 10. A special emphasis will be on Kalwa, Mumbra and Diva that have become hubs of illegal constructions as per opposition leaders.
The action comes after sustained complaints by leaders in the house following which chief minister Eknath Shinde assured of zero tolerance towards illegal constructions in the recently concluded winter session. Several local leaders even from the Shiv Sena UBT group including Sanjay Ghadigaonkar from Thane and Rohidas Munde from Diva had been complaining of inaction by the junior officials.
Shinde had subsequently ordered the Thane administration to crack the whip on illegal constructions saying they pose a significant threat to public safety.
“We will undertake a massive demolition drive starting January 10 to February 10. I have instructed my teams to initiate legal action on landowners if construction continues on unauthorized plinths post civic action. Also, action should be taken against the builder if the construction is being done on is government-owned land and the entire cost of demolition should be recovered from the landowners and builders through legal proceedings. If the need arises, we will also register cases invoking MPDA,” said Bangar.
Officials said that a protocol has also been set for the drive wherein the assistant commissioners have been instructed to supervise the process and ensure that the entire structure is flattened and not just walls and slabs. In case of highrises, the staircases will also be demolished and experts could also be roped in for consultation. He also urged his teams to conduct the drives carefully and ensure citizens arent inconvenienced.
The demolition work will take place simultaneously at various locations within a specific ward daily except Sunday.
The entire exercise will see a huge posse of civic and police teams and the administration has okayed the plans to provide 100 jawans from the Maharashtra Secuirty Force in addition to hiring more staff through contractors, if the need arises, an official informed.
Meanwhile, even as activists and netas lauded the initiative, they have hoped the initiative sustains the initial steam.
“There have been many announcements in the past but this time it is to be noted if the corporation cracks the whip on the errant builders and land mafia. It is being alleged that certain officials receive kickbacks to allow such illegal constructions to flourish and so this drive will hopefully weed out the unholy nexus,” said BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar.
