People seem to have found a new method to ward off the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s demolition drive against illegal constructions, by threatening self-immolation.
In the last four days, the civic body has twice called off the drive against unauthorised structures, as residents, mostly women, threatened to immolate themselves. On Tuesday, the BMC postponed the drive due to stiff resistance of women, who poured kerosene on themselves and threatened to set themselves on fire. On Saturday, the civic body had aborted the demolition drive in Mahim for the same
reason.
On Tuesday, the BMC’s anti-encroachment squad planned to demolish an illegal three-storey structure at Khardanda. However, when the officials started the demolition work, women living in the building poured kerosene on themselves and threatened to set themselves ablaze, if civic officials continued to destroy their structures. Despite civic officials’ attempts at convincing, the women refused to budge.
Since the situation turned chaotic, the civic body decided to postpone the drive.
According to civic officials, the BMC has torn down three buildings in that area since Saturday. “These structures originally belong to the local fishermen who then sold their houses to others. These buildings are illegal
and also violate the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) rules,” said a civic
official.
Under the Mahatma Gandhi Pathkari Yojana, the BMC on Saturday had undertaken the removal of 22 hutments on the road near the Mahim municipal school to clear the footpaths. The squad even started the demolition and razed eight hutments on the footpath. However, during the drive, some women slumdwellers started protesting. They poured kerosene on themselves and threatened to set themselves ablaze if the
BMC proceeded with the drive.
“Despite threats of self-immolation, our drive against illegal constructions will continue. We will seek proper police protection before taking up the demolition,” said deputy municipal commissioner (removal of encroachments) Vijay Balamwar.