BMC diverts drains, leaves encroachment untouched

Several illegal structures have shrunk the 60-foot DP Road in Borivli (East) to half, but the civic body seems to be doing everything possible to protect the encroachers. Even after issuing two demolition notices in past two months, the R-Central ward has failed to take any action in the matter. Instead, the officials have engaged themselves in a game of passing the buck.

In a classic display of poor coordination among various divisions of the civic administration, the roads department has started diverting drains, leaving the illegal constructions in Abhinav Nagar untouched.

The state of affairs has affected the work on the road between Kajupada bus stop and the nearby mosque which is not happening as per the sanctioned plan. The diversion of drain chambers, has now become a cause of concern for the storm water drains department as it may result in hamper smooth flow of water.

Devidas Sutar, a resident from the area said that the unmindful act by the civic authorities was likely to cause flood during rains. He said, "The water is going to enter our homes."

Residents of a few societies next to Abhinav Nagar have been complaining about the issue, which has created many bottlenecks on the road, for the past two years, but in vain. On May 21, dna had reported how BMC officials had punished a housing society for speaking against the structures jutting into the DP Road.

The civic body had damaged the road outside the colony entrance, severely affecting vehicular movement from and into the area. It was only after the dna report that the ward office got the portion of the road fixed.

The local residents have accused the BMC staff of leaking the names of whistle-blowers to the people who have gobbled up the space. This has led to the crusaders receiving threats, they say.

Ridhhi Khursange, NCP corporator from the area said he had followed up on the issue with V G Bole, who was the assistant commissioner of the ward until recently, on several occasion. She said, "Assistant Engineer Khurshid Yasin from the building and factory department and Prabhakar Pawar from maintenance department are shielding the encroachers."

Former corporator Bhaskar Khursange said they had even arranged for police protection so that the demolition work could be carried out smoothly, but the ward staff fled from the spot when the offenders resisted. "We want the roadwork to be completed successfully as it has been taken up after 10 years. We arranged everything. What more can we do?"

Kishore Gandhi, who has now taken charge as the assistant commissioner of the war, said he will hold a meeting with the departments. "I will ensure that action is taken as per the law and work on the D P road is completed as per schedule."