The demolition has drawn sharp criticism from members of the Jain community who have described the action as unwarranted. According to Anil Shah, a trustee of the temple — or chaitalaya — located within the Neminath Cooperative Housing Society in Kambliwadi, the demolition took place on Wednesday
Members of the community are planning to hold a protest march to the K-East Ward office in Andheri on Saturday in response to the incident. Representational pic
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has demolished a Jain temple in the Vile Parle area, stating that it was unauthorised, news agency PTI reported.
The demolition has drawn sharp criticism from members of the Jain community who have described the action as unwarranted.
According to Anil Shah, a trustee of the temple — or chaitalaya — located within the Neminath Cooperative Housing Society in Kambliwadi, the demolition took place on Wednesday.
“The structure dated back to the 1960s and had been renovated with the BMC's permission in the past,” Shah told PTI.
“There is a Government Resolution which says such structures can be regularised. You are only required to submit the proposal for regularisation to the BMC which we had submitted,” Shah added.
He further alleged that religious books and temple paraphernalia were damaged during the demolition and claimed the action was carried out at the behest of a local hotelier. Members of the community are planning to hold a protest march to the K-East Ward office in Andheri on Saturday in response to the incident, informed Shah.
The Mumbai civic body has not yet issued an official statement on the incident.
A spokesperson did not respond to calls or messages seeking comment.
HC criticises BMC over illegal community hall in Ghatkopar, orders its demolition
The Bombay High Court (HC) has strongly criticised the BMC over its handling of illegal constructions, stating that such developments jeopardise the city’s planned growth and strain its existing infrastructure, PTI reported.
“Illegal constructions completely jeopardise the planned development of the city and drain existing resources,” a bench comprising Justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata noted in its judgment on Thursday.
The court gave a deadline of a week to the civic body for the demolition of a community hall that had been constructed without authorisation on a plot in Ghatkopar reserved for a playground. The plot, measuring 585 square metres, is also home to a Ganesh temple, while the remaining area has been traditionally used for sports, religious functions, social gatherings, and recreational activities.
The petition had challenged permissions granted by BMC and the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to the Akhil Bhatwadi Sarvajanik Utsav Mandal for the construction of the hall.
The bench held BMC officials accountable for dereliction of duty and directed the civic commissioner to take appropriate disciplinary action, submitting a compliance report within six months. The court also instructed the BMC to retain the land as an open space in accordance with its reservation and barred any future construction on the plot.
(With PTI inputs)
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