Onus of slum-free Maharashtra will be on officials: Ashok Chavan

Officials abetting encroachments on government land will soon face criminal action. Announcing an amendment in the municipal corporation acts on Monday, chief minister Ashok Chavan said that the onus of an encroachment-free state will lie on the officials concerned and criminal action will be taken against them if they are found to be wanting in fulfilling their responsibility.

The bill regarding the amendment, Chavan said, will be brought with immediate effect, and if possible, during the ongoing budget session itself.

Chavan said that no more encroachments will be tolerated in the cities. “One cannot deny that the slums on encroached land is a major issue. Curtailing encroachment in the cities is the responsibility of the municipal corporation concerned. We are bringing a bill related to encroachments to amend the municipal corporation acts. Through this the responsibility will be fixed on the officials concerned and criminal action will be taken against them in case they fail,” he said.

According to the chief minister, satellite mapping machinery will be used to identify the new encroachments in the cities.

The opposition, during a supplementary demand debate on the urban development department on Monday, had alleged that encroachment is taking place on revenue lands of the state government. Leader of the opposition Eknath Khadse alleged that the lands owned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) were free from encroachments since the civic body had cleared them.

Chavan said the BMC was solely responsible for the removal of the slums on lands owned by any agency.