Mumbai: 63 shops, shanties on Malad plot reserved for playground razed

The shops and shanties are destroyed at Malad on Thursday

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday demolished 63 shops and shanties that stood on a 6.91-acre plot on Marve Road at Malad West that is reserved for recreation and playgrounds. The civic body has decided to develop a theme park on the plot. According to the BMC official, the plot was encroached upon by 63 furniture shops and shanties for two decades.

The BMC had issued a notice to the encroachers in July 2023 and ordered them to submit the required documents. "Only the owners of eight of the 63 structures are eligible for an alternative space or monetary compensation," said a BMC official.

"We are thinking of developing a theme park here on the basis of Noida's Vedic-themed park," the official added. According to him, the plot was originally owned by the suburban collector and it was recently handed over to the BMC. "We have started the process of setting up the park," said the official.

Assistant Municipal Commissioner Kiran Dighavkar said, "We will allot alternative places or compensate the owners of eight structures." A team of 14 engineers, 62 workers, one Poclain and three JCB excavators and 60 dumpers had been deployed to demolish the shops and shanties. The BMC will fence off the plot to deter encroachers.