The BMC removed 17 illegal structures at Namdev Patankar Road in Vikhroli East on Tuesday. Civic officials said a road 18.3 metres wide has been proposed in the area but these structures were creating a hurdle in construction.
They said that there has been encroachment despite the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) providing alternative accommodation to these structures during the extension of 5th and 6th rail tracks. The S-Ward of the BMC has on several earlier occasions issued notices to these structures and held hearings of aggrieved residents. During the hearings, BMC officers requested them to self demolish and had to take coercive action when there was no response.
Assistant municipal commissioner of S-Ward, Ajitkumar Ambi said that encroachers were not satisfied with the accommodation given to them by the MMRDA. “Therefore, we called MMRDA officials and railway representatives and conducted a meeting on three different occasions. At the end, we all came to the conclusion that accommodation has been offered as per rules. The Construction of DP Road is important from the larger public point of view. Even ambulances couldn’t pass through the narrow lanes here,” he said.
