mid-day impact: BMC demolishes illegal Dongri building with 'D' connection

BMC took the hammer to the first and second floors yesterday. Pics/Sayed Sameer Abedi

The D-company may consider Dongri its turf, but the BMC and Mumbai Police are out to demolish that notion. Days after mid-day reported on an eight-storey illegal structure that was allegedly built with the ‘blessing' of Dawood Ibrahim's aide Tariq Parveen, the civic body yesterday began to tear it apart, brick by brick.

BMC workers started taking the building apart brick by brick amid high police presence yesterday

As mid-day reported in its afternoon edition on October 20, the building was originally three storeys high (‘Is Dawood aide behind magic in Dongri?'). This unauthorised development was allegedly backed by Tariq Parveen, who was deported from Dubai to Mumbai in 2004 for his alleged involvement in the construction of an illegal shopping complex in south Mumbai.

BMC jumps into action
Two days after the report, municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta asked the local ward officer for details of illegal constructions in the Dongri and Pydhonie. "I have asked the civic authorities to pull down illegal structures and take action against those involved in unauthorised construction," Mehta told this reporter.

Tariq Parveen

Acting swiftly on the orders, assistant municipal commissioner (B ward) Udaykumar Shiroorkar undertook the demolition drive yesterday. Since the area is congested, there is no space for heavy machinery, so workers are taking the building apart brick by brick. "We demolished the first and second floor. The demolition will continue for the next few days. First, the brickwork is being demolished. Once that is done, the iron angles that support the structure will be cut," said Shiroorkar.

Heavy police presence
Aware that there might be law and order problems because of Parveen's clout in Dongri, the police were positioned there in huge numbers to ensure everything went smoothly. Additional Commissioner of Police Pratap Dighavkar said, "We have deployed plenty of police personnel to the spot, as demanded by the BMC, to ensure smooth demolition. We will continue to provide support until the building is razed."

Tariq's denial
It was Dharavi-based social worker Mohammed Hussain Choudhary who had complained about Parveen's involvement in illegal constructions in the Dongri and Pydhonie. Choudhary had told this paper that the police should conduct a thorough probe as underworld money is involved in such activities. However, Parveen refuted the charges and said, "I have no connection with the illegal structure or construction activities in the area. My name is being dragged in unnecessarily by some blackmailers to milk money from the building contractors."