The civic body started removing illegal structures following a Bombay High Court order in May 2009 to prevent water theft and leaks. The court had ordered removal of slums on pipelines and directed authorities to maintain a 10m buffer zone.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) plan to develop a jogging track and cycling track, being touted as the longest in the country, on both sides of the 39-kilometre-long water Tansa pipeline, is not going to be an easy task as the civic body has just removed only 30 per cent of the unauthorized structures along the pipeline.
According to BMC's water hydraulic department, around 10,000 unauthorised structures along the pipeline, that fall in 10 different administrative wards of BMC, still need to be removed. On Friday, the BMC sought an extension of the deadline for removal of slums in phase 2 of the drive to remove encroachments, to December 31, 2017. For phases 3 and 4, the corporation has sought the deadline for removal of slums be extended to June 30, 2018. The civic body has to remove unauthorised structures in four phases and report the same to the Bombay High Court. Phase 1 removal of unauthorised structures has already been completed.
The civic body started removing illegal structures following a Bombay High Court order in May 2009 to prevent water theft and leaks. The court had ordered removal of slums on pipelines and directed authorities to maintain a 10m buffer zone.
The 39-km long Tansa water pipeline is in two parts—from Mulund to Dharavi and from Ghatkopar to Sion. The pipeline crosses 10 administrative wards of BMC and passes through important areas such as Mulund, Bhandup, Sahar, Wakola, Hussein Hill, Khar East, Mahim, Dharavi, Ghatkopar, Kurla East, and Anda Depot.
As per the data available with the water hydraulic department of BMC, of the total 16,409 unauthorised structures, the ward offices have demolished around 6,000. BMC's ward office is undertaking the removal of unauthorised structures in their jurisdiction.
Last week, the civic chief had directed the water hydraulic department to look into how soon the jogging and cycling track can be developed. The initiative is expected to curb future encroachments along the pipeline. The jogging and cycling track may be the biggest track in the country.
An official from the water hydraulic department said that removal of unauthorised structures will be completed as soon as possible. "We have been rehabilitating affected persons under the Kurar model and we expect that there will be no problems," added the official.
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