The BMC department has received more than 1,000 complaints in the past few years regarding illegal structures, but the civic authority failed to take any action, says Anil Galgali
Civic authorities carried out a demolition drive after the major fire at Kamala Mills in Lower Parel on Friday, but activists felt that this was a late wake-up call.
The activists, who have been filing Right To Information (RTI) applications regarding illegal extensions of restaurants and pubs across the city, said that the civic authority should always take immediate action against the illegal structures.
According to them, earlier, complaints on illegal structures made to the civic authority were falling on deaf ears, but they now hope that quick action will be taken by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) after the tragedy at Kamala Mills.
Anil Galgali, who has been filing such RTIs, said, "The BMC department has received more than 1,000 complaints in the past few years regarding illegal structures, but the civic authority failed to take any action. The demolition drive that took place across various wards in the city is a good move, but steps should be taken quicker —within 48 hours of filing a complaint. The complaints on 1916 hardly reach the Municipal Commissioner's office."
Godfrey Pimenta, an RTI activist in Andheri, has been filing complains and writing letters to the BMC officers regarding illegal structures and violation of fire rules by eateries and restaurants in the city.
He said, "Hardly any action was taken by civic officials. They cannot demolish structure without identifying them first. It is a good thing that the BMC demolished so many structures in a day but the action should continue in the future. What normally happens after a tragedy is immediate action, but it fizzles out after some time. That should not happen."
He further added, "The steps must be taken at the ward level for quick action against illegal structures. On several occasions, when the civic authority goes for a demolition, they come back because they do not have adequate police protection. The police and BMC should coordinate in order to take action."
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