Mumbai :- It speaks volumes about the nexus of corruption and negligence that it took the Supreme Court of India’s intervention for illegal constructions in Maharashtra — especially in its cities — to finally face demolition.
This week, the Maharashtra Government issued an order directing all district collectors to strictly implement the Supreme Court’s guidelines, both to raze existing illegal structures and prevent future violations. The move follows the Supreme Court’s hearing on illegal constructions under the Malvan Municipal Council, even as the Bombay High Court deals with similar cases in Nagpur, Mumbai, and Navi Mumbai.
The Government’s circular warns officials of severe consequences if they fail to act. While this step is welcome, it also raises several uncomfortable questions.
For starters, it took nearly four months after the Supreme Court’s directive for the government to issue this order — a delay that provided ample opportunity for many illegal structures to seek regularisation. Was this procrastination intentional?
Moreover, the process of constructing a building involves securing multiple permissions — approvals, no-objection certificates, and sanctioned plans — which tap deep into the civic machinery. How, then, did thousands of illegal buildings mushroom under the noses of the very authorities meant to regulate them?
The reality is a complete breakdown of vigilance. It demands accountability from top to bottom — from senior officials to local clerks who either issued questionable approvals or looked the other way during construction.
Clearly, demolishing illegal buildings is just the surface. The real story lies beneath — a system that enables and profits from such lawlessness.
The Bombay High Court rightly pointed this out last month, urging the Maharashtra Government to enact tough laws to hold everyone involved — builders, officers, and even politicians — accountable. Without severe deterrents, the cycle will continue.
What Maharashtra desperately needs is a transparent, tamper-proof system for granting permissions — a digital process with minimal human interference, overseen by an independent ombudsman. But such sweeping reforms are unlikely; the Supreme Court order doesn’t mandate them, and the government would rather shield its own.
The extent of the rot is staggering. A decade ago, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation identified nearly 56,000 illegal structures in Mumbai alone. Navi Mumbai’s civic body too faced the Bombay High Court’s wrath recently for allowing thousands of illegal buildings to rise, while the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has demolished around 2,200 illegal structures over 56 acres just in the past few weeks.
Without systemic accountability, these demolitions are little more than an exercise in futility — like swatting flies in the summer.
