Maharashtra's Mira Bhayandar civic body cracks down on illegal constructions after fire killed three

MIRA-BHAYANDAR: Following Friday’s fire that killed three people, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has launched a drive over the weekend to curb illegal constructions, especially unsafe shanties on private and government land.

Two minors aged 15 and a 45-year-old man lost their lives in the fire at Indralok Phase 3 in Bhayandar East, which gutted around 35 shanties.

MBMC has witnessed several fire incidents in the last three months, most of them involving illegal godowns, furniture shops and shanties. In the last week of May, an illegal godown on an open plot, which was also used for private events, caught fire. Though there were no casualties, residential buildings adjacent to the plot were damaged. Interiors of several flats were completely destroyed, with around 30–35 flats affected in total.

Speaking on the issue, MBMC Municipal Commissioner Radhabinod Sharma said, “We have formed a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe Friday’s fire in which three people lost their lives. Once the findings are out, necessary stringent action will be taken.”

He added, “We have divided our six wards equally among two additional commissioners. Their task is to identify and act on illegal and unsafe encroachments to avoid further loss of life and revenue damage to the MBMC and the common man.”

He confirmed that immediately after the March 25 fire incident, in which around 30–35 flats were damaged, the concerned ward officer of Ward 6 was relieved of his duties and given a different job profile.

Claiming the land was Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) land reclaimed by the land mafia, Dhiraj Parab, an activist from Bhayandar, said, “Illegal land filling has been carried out in mangrove and tidal zones behind Navghar village in Bhayandar East by the land mafia. Unauthorised businesses, constructions and slums have been developed, generating huge rental income. Strict action must be taken not only against the land mafia, but also against the concerned officials. According to Bombay High Court orders, all illegal fillings and constructions should be removed, natural tidal flow restored, and mangroves replanted.”

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