MAPUSA
The Mapusa Municipal Council (MMC) on Friday demolished 35 illegal constructions at Karaswada junction, including several unauthorised structures owned by MMC Vice Chairperson Sushant Harmalkar.
The demolition drive was carried out by the civic body, in coordination with the Public Works Department (PWD) and other government departments, using heavy machinery.
The operation commenced at around 11.30 am and continued into the evening.
MMC Chief Officer Chandrakant Shetkar stated that the structures were illegal and the demolition followed numerous complaints of traffic congestion at the busy Karaswada junction.
After receiving these complaints, the civic body’s technical team conducted an inspection and identified 52 unauthorised constructions in the area.
“We followed the due process and issued show-cause notices to the tenants and owners of the structures,” Shetkar said.
“After hearings, only two out of the 52 structures were found to be legal. The remaining 50 were issued demolition orders,” he added.
While two owners secured a stay on the demolition, 13 others have challenged the orders before the Directorate of Municipal Administration.
Shetkar clarified that the 35 structures being demolished did not have any permissions from the municipality, and the operation would proceed as planned.
The 13 structures under appeal will not be demolished until the case is resolved, but the municipal council will seal the shops to prevent business operations during the legal process.
MMC Vice Chairperson Sushant Harmalkar, whose properties were among those demolished, told the probing journalists that although some shops in the area were illegal, his shops had been in existence for over 25 years and had all the necessary permissions.
He claimed that the demolition was due to road widening.
“I rented out some of my shops, but they were not illegal. They had all the required licenses but had to be demolished because of road expansion,” stated Harmalkar, who is also the President of the BJP Mapusa Mandal.
However, Chief Officer Shetkar insisted that all the demolished structures were illegal, as none of them had municipal licenses.
Interestingly, during a health inspection conducted three months ago it was revealed that these shops and kiosks were operating without health NOCs.
“There was no question of issuing health NOCs to these shops, as almost all of them were illegal,” the health officer had emphasised then.
One shopkeeper, Zikriya Khan, admitted to renting a shop from Harmalkar.
“I, along with other shopkeepers, have been operating here for over 20 years with the support of Councillor Harmalkar. We’ve received demolition notices in the past, but this time we weren’t so lucky,” Khan said.
Another shopkeeper, Shambhu Shettar, who sold fruits and vegetables, said that some of the shops were set up on personal premises.
He claimed the municipal council began the demolition without allowing sufficient time to challenge the notice or remove goods from the shops.
“The municipality should consider the future of the people whose shops were demolished and rehabilitate them, as many were dependent on these shops for their livelihood,” Harmalkar added.
The demolition has sparked concern among local shopkeepers, many of whom have lost their businesses as a result of the civic body’s action.
