INDIA. Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is at risk of losing over Rs. 11 crore in unrecovered permission fees from unauthorized fruit stalls that have been operating in a “fruit market” at Shimpoli in Borivali, North Mumbai, for the past seven years. Despite issuing demolition notices, the BMC has failed to take action against these unauthorized stalls.
Advocate Mukesh Gupta, in a letter dated November 1 to the municipal commissioner, has called for a departmental inquiry against the officers responsible for this lapse and the immediate recovery of Rs 11,30,14,247/- towards permission fees.
The unauthorized fruit market originated when Rajiv Rammurti Mishra obtained permission from the BMC on May 28, 2016, to conduct a “fruit festival” from May 10, 2016, to July 11, 2016, on a plot (CTS 22A/1A, Survey No 04) opposite the Shimpoli pumping station.
This plot, owned by a private party, is reserved for Recreational Ground (RG) under the Development Control and Promotion Regulation-2034 (DCPR-2034). Instead of dismantling the stalls after the event, Mishra and others have continued to operate the “Apna Fal Bazar” since 2016.
The BMC’s inaction is evident in its inspection of the plot only on July 27 of this year, despite the stalls being present since 2016. The Executive Engineer of BMC’s R Central ward issued a notice on July 28, ordering the removal of the stalls within seven days.
Mishra, on August 2, submitted an application seeking regularization of the structures. However, the BMC planned a demolition on August 8, which was never carried out.
No action was taken from August 8 to September 8. Subsequently, on September 09, the BMC ordered the “Apna Fruit Market” to demolish the stalls within 24 hours, but they were not removed. Further inaction continued from September 10 to October 4.
In October, the Mumbai Fire Brigade and BMC’s Health department conducted a joint inspection, seizing some illegally stored LPG cylinders and stoves from the premises. The Fire Brigade requested an immediate halt to activities and further inspections.
Despite these developments, the unauthorized stalls remain, and BMC dues remain unrecovered. The BMC and local police have yet to carry out the necessary demolition.
Mishra argues that the stalls should be regularized as they have existed since 2016 and no dangerous activities occur on the plot. He claims that false complaints have been lodged with the BMC by detractors seeking to extort money.
BMC officials have stated their intent to remove the unauthorized stalls and recover the dues owed to the BMC. Police protection has been provided to the BMC on several occasions in the past for the planned demolition, which has yet to be executed.
Also Read: ED Records BMC Chief’s Statement in Covid Care Centres Contracts Case
