Mumbai: Private developer may be booked for clogging drains on NH-48

Inquiries by midday have led the Palghar revenue department to launch an investigation into jailed developer Rakesh Wadhawan and others whose land was being illegally used as landfill Vasai taluka tahsildar said they will be fined as well as booked under the Disaster Management Act if it is confirmed that the landfill caused the flooding of the MumbaiAhmedabad HighwayDuring our investigation midday learnt that the land with survey No 117 belongs to HDIL promoter Rakesh Wadhawan and sought to know from officials what action will be taken against himldquoOne of the owners of this piece of land with survey number 117 is HDIL promoter Rakesh Wadhawan If after our inspection it is found that the land filling triggered waterlogging of the highway we will file a complaint at the local police station against the land owner as well as others responsible under the Disaster Management Act for using the plot as a dumping yard We will also impose a fine on themrdquo said Vasai taluka tahsildar Avinash KostiHDIL promoter Rakesh WadhawanCivic officials had earlier told midday that the 40foothigh debris and trash on plot No 117 was the reason for flooding on the highway Officials have been clearing the land to revive the natural drain that existed before and helped clear rainwater out of the highwayJailed Wadhawan is being investigated by multiple agencies including the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI the Enforcement Directorate ED and the Economic Offences Wing EOW He is an accused in the multicrore Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative PMC Bank scam Patra Chawl redevelopment scam etcThe sixlane stretch of the MumbaiAhmedabad Highway was flooded almost waist high last week which midday highlighted in its report on July 1 Backtoback reports prompted the Vasai Virar City Municipal Corporation VVCMC and revenue department officials to crack down on illegal dhabas and stalls built on NHAI landMeeting on landfill etcOn Wednesday representatives from the VVCMC the revenue department and mangroves protection committee held a meeting at the Palghar district collectorrsquos DC office on the matter Sources at the DCrsquos office told midday that the issue of illegal dump yard on an empty plot behind Kinara dhaba as reported by midday on Wednesday was also discussedTruckloads of garbage debris and soil were offloaded on the private land in broad daylight for the past threefour years said Anil Thakur the owner of Kinara dhaba The pileup had blocked the natural passage of water besides clogging the culverts in the area as well as the drainage system of Kinara dhabaMore illegal structures or parts of dhabas etc were demolished on Wednesday PicsHanif PatelldquoI had invested more than R15 lakh to connect our dhabarsquos drain to the nearest culvert But over the past few years big trucks dumped debris on the private land right behind our dhaba This filling of land disturbed our drainage system and when the highway got waterlogged the authorities razed our dhabardquo Thakur rued Kosti has said that they will also investigate the ldquomaterials that have been dumped on the land that choked the drainage systemrdquoBesides Wadhawan Bhimraj Shivraj Jain Jagannath Mhatre and Namdev Mhatre are also the owners of the plot No 117ldquoIf other plots along the highway are caught indulging in similar illegal activities which caused waterlogging then we have decided to deal with the issue with an iron fistrdquo Kosti saidldquoWe will also request the municipal corporation to remove the debris from the private land if itrsquos causing obstruction in rainwater to easily recederdquo he addedMangroves destroyedIt appears that the illegal land fillings also destroyed thick patches of mangrovesA source said ldquoIt is a serious issue if the mangroves have been destroyed We will conduct a survey and retrieve satellite images to decide if the illegal land fillings destroyed mangroves in the areardquoldquoIf the survey proves that mangroves have been destroyed we will register a police complaint to book the violators under the Environment Protection Actrdquo the source addedMeanwhile the civic and the National Highways Authority of India NHAI officials have continued razing illegal dhabas and stalls The major establishments that faced crackdown on Wednesday include Mumbai Masala dhaba Fountain City which is coming up with a banquet hall and water park on the highway and hotel Radhe KathiawadiMore structures razedAssistant Municipal Commissioner Mohan Sankhe said ldquoOn Tuesday we cleared 55000 square feet of encroached land and on Wednesday over 32500 square feetrdquoLocal activist Atul Mote said ldquoThis antiencroachment drive is hogwash The authorities concerned are only razing the hoardings of the illegal establishments in the name of antiencroachment driverdquoldquoWhy arenrsquot they razing the structures from where these dhabas resorts car washing centres etc are running their business from How is the removal of hoardings going to stop waterlogging issues on the highwayrdquo Mote askedThe NHAI had issued notices to over 300 hotels dhabas resorts car washing stations salons spas etc to act within the stipulated time to clear the encroachment but the violators did not abide by the instructions17Survey No of the landfill plot4No of owners of the landfill plot No 117