Mumbai: Despite High Court rap, 107 Vasai-Virar schools run in illegal buildings

A school being run in an illegal building in Virar. Pic/Hanif Patel

More than 100 schools in Vasai-Virar and Nalasopara are being run in illegal structures supposed to be demolished last year following a Bombay High Court order. Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation (VVCMC) officials are turning a blind eye to the order, a senior Mira Bhayandar Vasai Virar (MBVV) police officer alleged.

These schools are operational in illegal chawls, godowns and unauthorised buildings, where VVCMC officials had also installed notice boards following the order; while these boards have been removed, no FIR has been registered by civic officials.

"Several structures in the jurisdiction of the VVCMC are illegal but their demolition is yet to take place. Most of these illegal structures are owned by politicians or their close relatives. It is the reason why VVCMC officials are hesitant to comply with the order," said the police officer.

Schools that are allegedly being operated in illegal buildings in Virar and Nalasopara. Pics/Hanif Patel

In February 2022, the high court had ordered that the "municipal commissioner and/or the competent authority of a designated planning authority, is direscted to take a review of the illegal buildings/structures in every ward and actions taken thereon, periodically between the 25th to 30th day of every month." "But unauthorised construction work took place under the nose of VVCMC officers," the cop added.

In the order, the court had also underlined that "if an illegal and unauthorised construction is found to have subsisted and/or its non-removal is aided and/or abetted by the municipal officers or its employees for a substantial time of more than six months, the municipal commissioner shall take penal action against such erring municipal officers including lodging of prosecution under the municipal laws, in addition to the relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, apart from initiating disciplinary proceedings".

Several illegal structures

On July 4 last year, the high court was informed that there were several structures which are illegal and demolition was yet to take place. "Some partial demolition was carried out. Some structures still stand, occupied and are being used for commercial purposes," said an activist, who did not wish to be named.

The court was also informed that schools were being run from these structures and the parents of the children who were getting their wards admitted to these institutes had no way of ascertaining whether the school building was illegal and facing an order of demolition.

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The court was requested to ensure that the municipal corporation see to it that all structures facing demolition orders are listed and verified and suitable cautionary boards of a permanent nature be affixed on the outer wall of the school to highlight the fact that the structures are not legal and that there are orders for their demolition.

High court's order

Based on the request, the high court had passed an order, a copy of which is available with mid-day. "Let notice boards alerting the public at large be fixed within a period of four weeks from today (July 4, 2022)," reads the order.

The activist informed mid-day, "After the order was passed, VVCMC officials identified 107 illegal structures in all the wards and affixed notices on a few of them. But this was just an eyewash, as after installing the boards, the civic officials clicked photographs just to maintain records and submit in court that the order had been executed on the ground."

"After a few days, the notice boards were removed. In such cases, the VVCMC officials should have filed an FIR but no such action was taken," said the police officer. Meanwhile, the activist asked, "What happened to the HC order which says that illegal structures should be demolished within six months and if civic officials do not comply within the stipulated time, the municipal commissioner should file an FIR against the erring officers? How many such FIRs have the VVCMC chief filed?"

Pandora's box

The recent expose of multi-crore housing scam - whose mastermind Prashant Patil is a Std 10-pass conman from Kudal taluka of Sindhudurg district - has opened the Pandora's box for VVCMC officials.

"Few of the schools are either operational on rent or owned by the school owners. The future of students who are studying in these schools are at stake and it is only because the VVCMC officials are not following the court's orders," said the activist.

He added, "The residents of Vasai Virar and Nalasopara have been facing civic apathy every day as there is no proper drainage system, roads are riddled with potholes and every monsoon residential area gets heavily waterlogged because illegal structures block the natural flow of rainwater."

Rattled by the Rs 3,000-crore housing scam, VVCMC officials are scratching their heads when it comes to locating the buildings that Patil and his gang developed on the industrial non-agricultural land before selling out properties to middle-income groups.

"Unauthorised constructions have mushroomed so badly in the VVCMC area that in case of an emergency, rescuers are going to face massive difficulties while evacuating people. There are many dilapidated buildings which pose a threat to humankind. The inaction of VVCMC is endangering the lives of innocent people Vasai, Virar and Nalasopara," said the official. Proactive work needs to be effected with an aim to uproot the menace of the building mafia.

‘What about HC order?'

VVCMC chief Anilkumar Pawar has constituted a 10-member enquiry committee to probe the multi-crore housing scam. "But what about the HC order? Why the commissioner is silent on this issue? Did the VVCMC comply with the order? Has the VVCMC chief filed any FIR against errant officers? If not, why has this so-called enquiry committee been constituted?" wondered another activist.

He added, "We demand a CBI enquiry into the whole episode and that the assets of all these civic officials and their close relatives be checked. This is a huge racket which only CBI can expose; the enquiry committee has been constituted just for name sake... nothing is going to stop unauthorised construction in the VVCMC area."

"And this can only be possible if the chief minister constitutes an SIT and arrests all these civic officials whose bank accounts also need to be checked to end the corruption," said another activist. When contacted, Pawar refused to divulge any details related to the high court order.

Rs 3,000 cr
Worth of housing scam