Navi Mumbai: Locals cut short Cidco’s razing drive in Ulve

NAVI MUMBAI: A Cidco demolition team had to face stiff resistance from angry villagers of Gavan village, Ulve, when they went to demolish illegal structures on Tuesday to pave the way for the proposed Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) Road. The squad could only pull down a small shrine, a chawl and a godown before being forced to call off the drive.
The protest was led by former MP Ramseth Thakur and local leaders, Mahendra Gharat and Ravi Patil.Over a thousand villagers assembled at the demolition site. Although around 50 cops had been deployed, they could not control the mob.
“We are not against infrastructure projects such as MHTL but project-affected persons must be relocated with a proper compensation package. We want a discussion with Cidco officials to resolve the issue,” said local leader Ravi Patil. The MTHL project requires an alignment of at least a 120-metre-wide road; most of the space has been encroached upon by villagers. “Notices were slapped a few days ago, but to no avail,” said S R Rathod, controller of CUC, Cidco.
Meanwhile, an MIDC team demolished as many as 18 shrines in the MIDC area of Rabale. “The action was initiated in compliance with high court directives to demolish all illegal religious structures and ensure that a compliance report is submitted before December 31,” said MIDC deputy engineer Avinash Mali.