Bombay High Court said if the government was finding itself in a problematic situation, then it should pay the project affected persons
ADVERTISEMENT
The Bombay High Court on Friday said that if the Maharashtra government is unable to provide accommodation to people displaced following the demolition of their houses along the Tansa water pipeline, then it should pay them to find, on their own, a place to stay. The high court had earlier this month directed the state's chief secretary to identify a place in Mumbai, where these persons could be accommodated. The chief secretary, in his affidavit filed today, expressed inability to find a place for them.
Irked by this, the court said if the government was finding itself in a problematic situation, then it should pay the project affected persons. "Since the government cannot find an immediate solution by way of accommodating these persons, the only order we can pass is to ask the government to pay an adequate amount to each person who has been displaced. This would enable these persons to find a place to stay in the city on their own," Justice A S Oka said.
"We direct the chief secretary to consider this solution and file an affidavit," the court said, posting the matter for further hearing in July. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in compliance with a previous order of the high court, has been demolishing encroachments, including unauthorised residential and commercial structures, along the Tansa pipeline that runs across nine administrative wards of the city.
Initially, the state government had decided to accommodate the displaced persons in suburban Mahul village. However, they refused to move there, citing high pollution levels due to nearby refineries. The people had relied on a observation made by the Mumbai bench of the National Green Tribunal in a related matter to this effect.
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
