PIL alleges illegal constructions in Kalyan-Dombivali area

A PIL today urged the Bombay High Court to order demolition of illegal constructions coming up in Kalyan-Dombivili municipal area in neighbouring Thane district despite a court ban due to lack of grounds for dumping waste material.
The PIL was mentioned today before a division bench headed by Chief Justice D H Waghela which posted the matter for hearing next week.
The petition, filed by real estate agent Kishore Sohony, sought a direction to Maharashtra government and the Commissioner of Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to file a detailed report on the number of illegal constructions in the area and also take steps to demolish them.

The PIL urged for registration of criminal cases against municipal officials, real-estate developers and local politicians who are allegedly operating in connivance with the accused to build such illegal structures.
It also urged the state government and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take necessary steps to form a special force to tackle the spate of illegal structures being built on day-to-day basis in the municipal limits.
The petition further said there have been over 75,000 illegal constructions in KDMC jurisdiction in the last 25 years. The land-sharks hail from politics and are having partnerships with the municipal officers and local MLAs, it alleged.

The PIL said the high court had earlier imposed a ban on the new constructions in the Kalyan-Dombivli region due to paucity of an appropriate dumping facility.

Despite the ban, such illegal constructions are mushrooming in the area, it alleged.
The PIL also alleged despite illegal constructions going on, agencies such as Anti-corruption Bureau are turning a blind eye to the complaints lodged in this regard by civilians.
In the recent past, a real-estate developer wrote a confession to the ACB and the Chief Minister expressing his willingness to reveal the bribes paid by him to municipal officers and MLA for promoting illegal floors, but there has been no cognisance of it, the PIL further alleged.