Fencing of Shakti Mills complete, PWD tells HC

Following the gangrape of a photojournalist in the Shakti Mills compound on August 22, 2013, the High Court had asked the official liquidator, custodian of the property, to complete the process of securing the decrepit compound in three-phases — that entailed clearing of shrubbery, fencing and sealing the premises, and finally, electrification to keep the premises well-lit at night.

The PWD had informed the court that the total estimated cost for clearing and securing the compound in Mahalaxmi would be Rs 1.58 crore. The court was told that a corpus of Rs 1.5 crore was available with the official liquidator after paying off the dues of the erstwhile synthetic yarn mill that was wound up in January 1981. The official liquidator has been the custodian of the property ever since.
Earlier this month, the court also accepted the suggestion made by amicus curiae (friend of the court) Naushad Engineer, who suggested that installation of LED lights in the compound will be economical in the long run.

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