Why not stop encroachments before they come up?

Iqbal Singh Chahal

In a meeting of the encroachment removal committee with various government authorities in Mumbai, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal instructed various government agencies to work together to eliminate encroachments, reports stated. He stressed the need to prepare and maintain records of encroachment removal operations. Additionally, Chahal directed the police system to prioritise providing manpower during encroachment removal processes.

Chahal also called for an end to debris dumping on government agency plots asking for CCTV installation in these areas, on priority.

Encroachment is the city's big bugbear, because land is at an absolute premium here. While this meeting may result in good coordination between various agencies, it is also important to not just keep reports but see how encroachments happen in the first place. An investigation may show a pattern to encroachment, the timeline and whether this is done openly or surreptitiously. It is vital that encroachments are tackled in the beginning itself so that they are unable to take root and then, become exceedingly difficult to dislodge as numerous instances have shown. Just like prevention is better than cure, we say preventing encroachment is much better than then following up with eviction.

Then, there is also the fact that though encroachments are uprooted at times, they tend to return. This is more common than we think. Before one knows it, the encroachments come creeping back and the problem returns, sometimes bigger than ever.

Enough police presence is naturally mandatory as every eviction is fraught and things can spiral out of control, during the action phase.

Debris dumping is a very real issue, with some plots turning quickly into convenient rubbish dumps. Surveillance can be the ‘first responder' in a way in this problem.