Persons with vested interests hindering demolitions: govt

Maharashtra government today told the Bombay High Court that certain persons and groups were coming in the way of demolition of illegal constructions.
"Certain persons with vested interests are preventing demolitions," said Government Pleader Sandeep Shinde before the division bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and S C Gupte, which was hearing a public interest litigation seeking action against illegal structures across the state.
Uday Warunjikar, counsel for the petitioner organisation Harit Vasai Sanrakshan Samiti which filed the PIL in 2007, said last year MLAs Jitendra Awahad (NCP) and Pratap Sarnaik (Shiv Sena) had obstructed a demolition drive at Kalwa in neighbouring Thane district.

"They form a human shield and do not allow demolition," he said.
The High Court also rapped the government for tardy progress in its action against illegal structures since 2007.
Advocate Shinde informed that 5,000 out of the total 49,000 illegal structures on forest lands had been demolished.

Warunjikar argued that in 2009, HC had asked the Chief Secretary to hold a meeting every month to review the encroachment issue. "To date only five meetings have taken place. The minutes and the agenda are the same every time without any progress," he said.
Affidavits were filed today by municipal corporations of Navi Mumbai and Badlapur, saying that they have demolished all the illegal constructions in their respective jurisdictions. But the affidavit of Thane Collector said it would take another one-and-half years to tackle the issue.

Further hearing would be on August 1.