The state government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) faced the ire of the Bombay high court on Wednesday for not taking timely action against the alleged illegal constructions at Bandra (East).
“This happens (failure to take action) regularly. One day the illegal constructions are cleared, but the structure promptly reappears the next day,” remarked a division bench of justice F I Rebello and justice Amjad Sayed.
The court pulled up the state for not providing police protection to the BMC while it carried out demolition of illegal structures. The court also questioned BMC if they asked for police protection during demolition or not.
“We want the state to provide the machinery. If you [the state] are providing protection to the corporation, then how are illegal structures mushrooming in the city?” the judges demanded to know.
The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging that the underworld was financing a redevelopment project in the Naupada area of Bandra (East).
A PIL, which was filed in September, 2009 by one Ashraf Mansuri, a resident of Naupada, alleges that Anees and Imran Khan, sons of Yakub Yeda - an absconding accused in the 1993 bomb blasts case - are developing and constructing at least 40 properties in Bandra (East). The petition states that keeping in mind the underworld connection of Yakub, there are chances of the underworld financing these constructions.
The petition also states that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) was not taking enough steps to prevent these constructions.
BMC, on the other hand, told the court that they had issued stop-work notices last year. The advocate for the BMC sought time to file a detailed reply.
Yakub Yeda has been declared absconding by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) along with the main conspirator Tiger Memon, Dawood Ibrahim and several others. Yakub is believed to be hiding in Dubai.
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