Civic chief wants dilapidated bldgs in island city to be vacated in 7 days BMC Weighs Option Of Moving Court Seeking Police Action

 Municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte has given instructions to vacate all buildings under C1 category (dangerous marked for demolition) within seven days, during a pre-monsoon inspection of 18 dilapidated buildings in the island city on Monday. 

    Buildings in Chandanwadi at Marine Lines, Siddharth Vihar at Wadala and Pathan Chawl at Worli will be issued notices on Tuesday. Buildings like the four-storey Podar High School, in Dadar, have already been vacated and will be demolished in seven days. 
    Nine families still live in Siddharth Vihar, near Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Nagar in Wadala. The building had been surveyed in 2006 and declared to be in the C1 category. The matter is now in court. Kunte instructed Alka Sasane, assistant commissioner, F(north) ward, to move the Bombay High Court for permission to disconnect electricity and water supply connections. 
    "We have made a list of buildings which are in extremely precarious condition. We will decide on demolition after consulting the technical committee. I will inspect dilapidated buildings in the western suburbs on Tuesday and in the eastern suburbs on Wednesday," said Kunte. 
    "Since the BMC doesn't have the power to forcibly evacuate people from buildings declared dangerous, it is looking at filing a suo motu case against those refusing to vacate dilapidated buildings. The court can then direct the police to forcefully vacate the building and the BMC will subsequently demolish it," said a senior civic official. The BMC also plans to approach the metropolitan court under the CrPC, seeking directions to the police to take action against occupants refusing to vacate dilapidated buildings. 
    "Many Mhada and BMCowned buildings and chawls in C and D wards are stuck in red-tape and cannot undergo repairs. Redevelopment has stopped in many areas due to landlord-tenant disputes. This is a major hurdle and the main reason that these wards have the maximum number of dangerous and semi-dangerous buildings," said a corporator.