‘Encroaching, a human tendency’

Sumant Bhange, chief executive officer of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada)’s Repair and Redevelopment board, said encroachments were increasing day by day and it was impossible to get rid of them completely.

Mr Bhange said population was increasing day by day and encroachment is a human tendency. “We cannot always get rid of encroachments because it is the government which has to accommodate the growing needs of the increasing population,” said Mr Bhange and insisted that it was the government ultimately which has to do something to control the growing population in the city.

It was earlier reported by The Asian Age, that the ‘encroachment removal cell’ of Mhada remains on paper and it has not recruited anyone for it in the past two years. According to Mhada officials, there are around 8,500 encroachers in Mhada’s 56 transit camps around the city. The encroachment cell had six engineers earlier out of which three were given additional charge in other departments. But it has been almost two years that the Mhada has not appointed anyone for the vacant post in the encroachment cell.

Currently, Mhada takes help from the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which with the help of police station acts against illegal encroachments in Mhada-owned property.

Mr Bhange, further added, “There is unrest in the rural population of the state and they come to the city in search of employment. It is obvious that when there is migration, the demand for a house is going to increase.”

However, Nikhil Desai, civic activist, said, “It is shocking to hear such statements from an IAS officer. It is ultimately the inefficiency and corrupt practices of such officials which allow slumlords and slum mafias to encroach on government land. If it was really a human tendency, why do we not see private properties being encroached upon The city is experiencing a downfall because of such officials and they do not act just to save the votebank of local politicians who in a way support slumlords and slum mafias encroaching on government land.”