Ward officer to blame for illegal construction: Patel

Amin Patel, 61, the Congress MLA from Mumbadevi voted six times by Praja Foundation as Mumbai's best legislator, has said that the assistant commissioner of the BMC's B Ward is to blame for rampant illegal construction in the area.

- Rucha Kanolkar

Patel, a three-time MLA, visited the FPJ office and interacted with journalists as part of the 'FPJ Dialogue' series.

He acknowledged that several illegal buildings have come up in his constituency. "I have complained about these structures several times. I raised the issue in the legislative assembly and [Chief Minister] Eknath Shinde, who was then the minister for urban development, assured me that these structures would be demolished, but nothing happened. He said a large number of people have invested their hard-earned money in buying flats in these buildings without realising that they are illegal," Patel said.

The MLA said in the past he started work in the constituency right after the declaration of results. "I will continue that practice this time also," he said. "I have been available to the voters 24x7. In fact, whenever I campaign people ask why I take the trouble," Patel said.

Problems afflicting Mumbadevi include overcrowding, illegal constructions, illegal vehicle parking, and pervasive encroachments. Patel pointed out that the SBUT cluster development initiated by the Dawoodi Bohras was already yielding results. Similarly, Kamathipura, spread over 36 acres, will also be taken up for redevelopment with MHADA as the nodal agency.