What steps would the Mumbai collector initiate to remove 48 known obstacles around the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, the Bombay High Court demanded on Friday.
A division bench of the Bombay High Court, comprising Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice M S Karnik, was referring to the unauthorised portions of the buildings in the vicinity of the Mumbai airport, which is one of the busiest in the country.
The court came down heavily on the Collector of Mumbai Suburban District for trying to shift the responsibility to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for the demolition of these obstacles.
The court, while hearing public interest litigation filed by advocate Yashwant Shenoy, suggested to the authorities to disconnect electricity and water supply to those buildings that have been issued notice for height violation.
The court was informed by the Mumbai International Airport Limited that in one of the periodic surveys carried out in 2010, 137 obstacles—buildings/structures—were identified. Of these, final orders were passed in 63 cases. Appeals were filed in nine cases of these 63 cases, and six buildings had already complied. The remaining 48 structures need to be demolished immediately.
The government’s advocate Manush Pabale said the collector did not have the machinery to carry out the demolition work.
“An attempt being made to shift responsibility to the BMC is clear. We are not impressed with such an attitude. We do not approve of the Collector moving responsibility to the BMC,” Justice Dutta said.
(Published 29 July 2022, 17:17 IST)
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