Mumbaikars live like animals, says high court

Observing that people in Mumbai are living like animals, the Bombay high court on Tuesday rapped the BMC for allowing thousands of unauthorised constructions to mushroom.

A division bench of justices PB Majmudar and Amjad Sayed was hearing a petition filed by Shri Balaji International School, Malad (West), after the assistant municipal commissioner of the P/North ward ordered the demolition of an electricity sub-station constructed in the school compound.

“Total lawlessness is prevailing in this city so far as unauthorised constructions are concerned. People of this city are living animal’s life [sic],” said justice Majmudar. “We can just sympathise with citizens,” he rued.

“You [the BMC] always realise at the last moment that a construction is unauthorised and then you regularise it,” said justice Majmudar. The judges also upbraided the school for going ahead with construction despite a stop-work notice.

BMC counsel Anil Sakhare argued that further construction was carried out though a notice was put up at the building entrance, stating that Occupation Certificate (OC) was not granted.

He said action will be taken against illegal constructions before February 8.

The school’s advocate Jyoti Chavan admitted that it was a mistake to go ahead with construction and said the school will remove unauthorised constructions.

The judges directed the BMC to carry out surveys to find out illegal constructions in Mumbai. They also directed the state to go through BMC files and find out whether the builder violated the law.