Bombay HC Orders Expert Committee To Curb Urban Chaos In Badlapur, Ensuring Systematic Town Planning

Mumbai: Calling the unchecked growth of Badlapur a recipe for “urban chaos” and “municipal nightmare,” the Bombay High Court has ordered the creation of an expert improvement committee to prepare a blueprint for systematic development of the town, which falls under the Kulgaon-Badlapur Municipal Council (KBMC) in Thane district.

Civic Infrastructure Concerns

A bench of Justices Girish Kulkarni and Arif Doctor said the lack of drainage lines, sewerage facilities and functional sewage treatment plants had left thousands of citizens struggling with basic civic services.

“The present plight appears to be completely beyond the control and / or comprehension of the Chief Officer to achieve appropriate town planning,” the court remarked, stressing the urgent need for external expertise.

Expert Committee Formation

The committee, to be formed within two weeks, will identify pressing urban planning problems and suggest both immediate and long-term measures. It will include experts nominated by CIDCO and the state’s director of town planning, the additional collector of Thane, the CEO of KBMC, a representative of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and an eminent social worker nominated by the civic body. The aim, the court said, is to make Kulgaon-Badlapur a “Model Town” comparable to Navi Mumbai.

Complaint And Compensation

The ruling came on a plea filed by Yashwant Anna Bhoir, who alleged that sewage from the Trishul Golden Ville Cooperative Housing Society, built by developer A Plus Lifespace, was draining into his adjoining plot. Advocates Avinash Fatangare and Archana Shelar appeared for Bhoir.

Taking note of the nuisance, the court directed the developer to pay Rs10 lakh compensation to Bhoir and to take remedial steps within six weeks. It also imposed Rs 50,000 costs on KBMC, observing that the civic body had failed to enforce basic rules.

Ward-Wise Inspections Ordered

The judges raised “great doubt” whether KBMC was exercising its powers to stop unauthorised drainage connections and ordered ward-wise inspections of high-rise buildings.

Environmental Concerns

The bench was especially scathing about sewage and untreated waste being released into the Ulhas river, terming it “an intolerable attack by ‘we the humans’ on such natural resources.”

Need For Planned Development

Observing that Badlapur has become a “popular suburb” due to its connectivity with Mumbai and Thane, the court warned that development must not outpace infrastructure. “Authorities are required to ensure robust town planning measures… not an urban chaos resulting in a haphazard concrete jungle,” the bench said, adding that poor planning already threatens citizens’ fundamental right to a healthy environment.

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Public Health Warning

Failure to act, the court warned, would lead to “a nightmare of municipal chaos and high degree of urban disorder causing innumerable public woes” including health hazards such as typhoid, malaria and dengue.

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