The drive was conducted to remove 60 unauthorised structures which had been built on government land.
Thirty-five-year-old Asha Anandapad, an epileptic from the Dr Ambedkar Nagar slum in Cuffe Parade, had convulsions when her hut was demolished as part of a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) drive on Thursday.
Asha’s husband Anandapad was not allowed to come to her rescue. He and his neighbours were herded off like cattle by policemen at the scene. “The police are hitting women with lathis. She got fits when the BMC came to demolish our huts. She needs help,” said Anandapad, adding that: “All our belongings, our photo passes, ration card and other documents are submerged in water. The collector had assured us that those huts that were numbered won’t be demolished.”
“If they had told us in the morning that they would be demolishing our huts, we would have vacated our home. At least we would have taken our belongings, our medicines. Now we have nothing. Except for the clothes that we are wearing presently,” said Neetu Pardesi, an asthmatic from the slum.
The drive was conducted to remove 60 unauthorised structures which had been built on government land. And the civic official on duty said, “We are only going by the collector’s orders, by providing manpower and machinery for demolition. We have got 6 trucks, dumpers and JCB machines which couldn’t enter the slums. Therefore we deployed 70 men to demolish the huts.”
Vijay Balamwar, assistant municipal commissioner, A Ward, said, “The huts were on the collector’s land. He had identified those huts which were deemed illegal and sent the slum dwellers notices. The huts were also built on a natural water body - on mangrove land.”
When the additional collector, RV Game was contacted, he said, “The 60 huts that were demolished had recently encroached on government land. All formalities were completed and orders were given by the deputy collector. The slum dwellers were given a 24-hour notice period.” He added that the BMC was considering constructing a new storm water drain on the land.
Balamwar confirmed this saying, “We may consider a proposal to construct a new storm water drain here.”
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