BMC razes over 200 shanties in Bandra

Mumbai: The civic body demolished more than 200 hutments in Bandra Reclamation on Friday. 
    The illegal hutments proliferated within a fortnight, claim activists. 
    Congress legislator Baba Siddiqui claimed he had raised the issue and asked the ward officials to initiate action on December 15. 
    However, BJP MLC Ashish Shelar said he raised the issue in the Council on Tuesday and wrote to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. "Home minister RR Patil said he will use the police to evict and demolish illegal shanties," said Shelar. 
    "The CM has given an order to take immediate action and submit a report. The CM had directed this order to the municipal commissioner and Mhada vicepresident," he added. 
    "It's good that the slums were demolished or else politicians would make arrangements by issuing fake documents to have a sizeable vote bank. Home guards should be deployed at the site to ensure that the squatters don't return," said activist Aftab Siddique.

CRACKDOWN: Politicians are vying to claim credit for the civic action