MCGM officials demolish houses, shops in spite of Coronavirus advisory

Picture/ Samiullah Khan

While the government is advising people to sit in their homes to contain the spreading of corona virus and issued advisory prohibiting unnecessary travels, the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MCGM) K West Ward in Andheri on Tuesday allegedly made dozens of people homeless by demolishing their shops and houses in the name of illegal encroachment and unauthorised construction.

The civic officials demolished more than six shops that were attached to a mosque in the Qureshi compound, outside the Evershine Cosmic Building, Off Link Road, Opp. Infinity Mall, Oshiwara, Jogeshwari West.

A resident of the ward said, "The people were asking that what was the hurry for the concerned officials to carry out this demolition when whole state is reeling under the pandemic as the demolition rendered many people homeless and has create a health hazard too due the debris. They razed it down by calling it ‘illegal encroachment' that caused traffic nuisance in the area but there were dozens of other and illegally slums. Why these were left?"

mid-day called the Assistant Municipal Commissioner Vishwas Mote from K West ward and also sent messages to him but did not get any reply.

Advocate Vijay Shukla said, "It is very surprising that a body like MCGM and its officers, in the present situation, which is termed as global epidemic disease, are engaged in such inhuman activities of demolition of citizen's premises. From relevant sources, it has been learned that there is an internal circular of MCGM for not initiating any such action of demolishing and/or dispossessing any human being from their premises at least till March 31, 2020 (as decided by government of Maharashtra) but still everything is being bypassed that too by town planning authority."

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