Urban News

Hindustan Times  07.10.2010

The Thane district collector and municipal corporation on Wednesday began a major demolition drive in Kalwa, Shil in Daighar and Balkum in Thane (West) following the high court order. On Day 1, 287 illegal structures were razed in Kalwa, 100 in Balkum and 70 in Shil.
“Of the 457 structures demolished, 87 were commercial ones and the rest residential. We have given priority to post-2000 structures and have identified 10,000 such structures in the taluka,” said tehsildar Krishna Jadhav, who overlooked the Kalwa demolitions.

The high court had convened a high-powered committee, headed by headed by the chief secretary, to remove all encroachments from public land after hearing a public interest litigation filed by NGO Harit Vasai Sanrakshan Samiti seeking to demolish illegal constructions in the Vasai-Virar belt.

There are more than two lakh encroachments on public land in Thane district, of which more than 18,000 structures, mostly commercial ones, have been demolished since January.

Residents of Sainathnagar slums in Kalwa claimed they had been living in Thane for nearly 14 years but had been shifting houses over the years. Hence, they will not be protected under the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance, Redevelopment) Act because they will not be considered among the pre-1995 slumdwellers.

“We had come here from Kilhari village in search of work. Initially, we lived at Bhakti Mandir Marg on Panchpakhadi, but were asked to shift because of road-widening work. We are displaced every six months. How will we produce proof of our existence if we are displaced often?” asked Satyakala.

At Mahalaxminagar chawl in Dadlani Par (Balkum), residents claimed they did not get any notices. “The chawl came up a few years back. Two years back, we bought this house for Rs 3.5 lakh from my mother’s savings. We don’t know where we will go now?” said Mahendra Badge (25).

Narendra Bhoir, another resident, said: “It is the municipal corporation’s fault. They provided us water supply and electricity and now they want to demolish our houses?”

Office superintendent (sub-divisional office) Dinesh Paithankar said they had issued three notices. “We had demolished these structures twice earlier but they return,” he added.

The Pioneer  06.10.2010

Monika | Chandigarh

Considering the congested area between Golden Temple and Hall Bazaar hurdling the traffic flow, the Punjab and Haryana High Court, in a recently passed order, has directed the Amritsar District Administration (ADA) to conduct a meeting within 15 days with the representatives of the educational institutes, residents, associations, traders' bodies for streamlining the flow of traffic and removing encroachments in the area.

The Bench of Justice Rajive Bhalla has also asked the concerned authorities-including the deputy commissioner (DC), the superintendent of police (SP) and the commissioner of municipal corporation (MC)-to invite suggestions from representatives of the associations of the shopkeepers, traders, residents, schools and colleges "to streamline traffic, to remove encroachments to provide for parking spaces etc".

The directions, in the traffic regulation and pollution control case, came within a month when the residents of the area physically removed the barricades, that were placed by the DC to regulate traffic between Hall Bazaar and Golden Temple, to streamline the traffic flow.

Justice Bhalla observed, "Kanwaljit Singh, senior advocate, representing the Federation of Dry Fruits Commercial Association, Majitha Mandi, and Tea Traders Association, Katra Ahluwalia, Amritsar, states that their members do not oppose and infact welcome the attempt to streamline traffic, but their concern over access to the shops, access by their customers to their shops, loading and unloading of goods must be taken into consideration before any scheme is finalised."

"Randhir Sharma, advocate, a resident of Akhara Brahambuta, states that the residents of this locality do not have any objection to the streamlining of traffic, but the general concern of the residents, schools, colleges, hospitals and shops etc. must be taken into consideration before any scheme is finalised," added Justice Bhalla.

Taking into account the assertions and concerns of several associations appearing before the court, Justice Bhalla stated, "In view of the broad consensus between all present in the court that traffic in the area requires urgent attention, the deputy commissioner, the superintendent of police and the commissioner of municipal corporation, Amritsar, shall convene a meeting of the representatives of the associations of shopkeepers, traders, residents, schools and colleges etc and such other representatives of the public as may be interested within 15 days and invite suggestions to streamline traffic, to remove encroachments to provide for parking spaces etc."

Also taking on record an affidavit, filed by the Municipal Commissioner DPS Kharbanda informing that the parking lots in the area have been identified, Justice Bhalla stated,

"It, however, appears that traffic barriers placed by the deputy commissioner to regulate traffic between Hall Bazaar and Golden Temple have been physically removed by the residents of the area."

The case will now come up for the next hearing on October 15.