Mumbai: The demolition of the illegal structures in the
township of Ulhasnagar is all set to restart any time now.
The demolitions were put on hold due to Ulhasnagar Municipal
Corporation’s (UMC) law and order apprehensions.
The first round of demolitions, almost two weeks ago, was
followed by sporadic incidents of violence. The corporation’s
new commissioner, D.S. Patil, has requested additional police
force to check aggression and rioting. Thane Police Commissioner,
D. Sivanandan has endorsed the additional task force to be
deployed in the town. The bandobast for the demolition drive
is complete according to Sivanandan. At least 20,000 policemen
have already been positioned in the sensitive areas of the
town to curb trouble.
Rahul Palace, a five-story building, apparently, will be the
first out of the 855 unlawful structures to be brought down.
The Bombay High Court has enforced the demolition drive on
the UMC. The distressed residents had moved the Supreme Court
for intervention, however, in vain. Even the state government
has visibly washed its hands off the issue, leaving the residents
in misery. The demolitions will render at least one lakh people
homeless, who have been residing in the areas for more than
past twenty years.
The Bombay HC had issued the interim order for the demolitions
in April 2005, in response to a PIL filed by Hari Tanwani
and Nanomal Samtani. On December 7, 2005, the Bombay HC had
directed the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) to proceed
with the flattening of unauthorized structures as per its
earlier orders. It also directed the UMC to submit the report
by January 10, 2006.
