Nagpur fights persistent illegal structures

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) grapples with demolishing illegal structures, per recent submissions to the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court. NMC's affidavit stated that only 1,368 out of 9,000 unauthorised constructions have been removed, indicating just 15% faced action. Last year, Deputy Municipal Commissioner Ashok Patil's affidavit mentioned identifying 1,544 illegal constructions and issuing removal notices under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act. The NIT chairman reported 4,675 unauthorised structures detected, with 602 demolished across four divisions. Within its jurisdiction, NIT highlighted 3,019 such structures and issued notices. Despite the rainy season, a meeting on July 11 with the municipal commissioner, collector, NIT chairman, and NMRDA commissioner aimed to address encroachments. The commitment to removing encroachments in line with the law persists. A PIL initiated by Ajay Tiwari, which led to suo motu PILs, triggered the High Court's involvement. The petitioner withdrew after facing notices for his illegal structure, arguing against uncurbed unauthorised constructions and misused spaces by NMC, NIT, and NMRDA. In response, a joint supervisory committee (SC) formed on April 1, 2022, involving NMC, NIT, and NMRDA representatives, works to combat unauthorised constructions. The committee, led by NMC's additional municipal commissioner, tackles Nagpur's ongoing challenge of eradicating illegal structures, raising concerns about enforcement and urban planning policies.