The general body of the Thane Municipal Corporation on Wednesday passed a resolution
to regularize all illegal structures in the lake city up to 2010.
However, leaders of most political parties have called for a complete
shut-down of Thane on Thursday to pressurize the TMC to stop the
demolition drive and to compel the state government to sanction higher
FSI for congested pockets in Wagle Estate, Lokmanya Nagar, Vartak Nagar
and Mumbra. The MNS and the BJP have distanced themselves from the bandh
call.

Activists however claimed the hidden agenda of
politicians was to secure their vote-banks by pressing for a state
pardon of all illegal homes in their constituencies and profit from the
builder-driven rehabilitation and redevelopment plans in their areas.
“Illegal buildings standing cheek-by-jowl in Wagle Estate, Kalwa or
Mumbra have already consumed an FSI of anywhere between 4 to7. If this
illegality has to be condoned and a rehab plan has to be initiated, the
biggest beneficiary will be the elected representatives from these
areas,” said Dayanand Nene, an activist from Thane.

“Developers who took up cluster redevelopment project of Mumbai’s cessed
properties were to get 60-70% additional FSI. The Thane politicians are
seeking the same FSI benefits for their constituencies without
considering the strain on social infrastructure in the area. The higher
FSI would result in windfall profits for the builder and a share of
profits is bound to reach the elected representatives,” Nene claimed.

On Wednesday, legislators from the NCP and opposition parties sought a
stay on the demolition drive in the assembly. But Chavan said, “Who
would take responsibility for these if they came down like the Lucky
Compound building.” Claiming 3,700 rental housing tenements were ready,
he said 50% of these have to be allotted to mill workers , the remaining
will be used to provide transit accommodation for residents of illegal
Thane buildings. He said a revised cluster redevelopment model will also
be introduced.

Varsity appeals for smooth exams

University has appealed to all political parties to allow the conduct
of undergraduate and postgraduate exams during the Thane bandh. The
university also appealed to parties not to obstruct students from
reaching their centres on time. Exams will be held as per schedule in
all five districts of Thane.

This bandh is all about politics, not Mumbra victims

No call for a bandh can be justified; but preposterousness of the
issues this bandh seeks to highlight sets it apart from others.
Rehabilitation is a complex issue, fraught with problems even in
societies much less corrupt and politicised than ours. In Mumbra, the
first question that arises is who pays for the rehabilitation that
politicians have suddenly put as a precondition for removing illegal
structures.