Concrete Mess

Trust Thane Municipal Corporation commissioner, T S Chandrashekhar, to tell it like it is. His list of 40 corporators who are either involved in construction of illegal buildings or are guilty of providing protection to them is sure to shock the administration and send the elected representatives scurrying for cover. And it has, as it was expected to, triggered a counter attack that is bound to draw the lines of a confrontation between corporators and administration. The first signs of the impending war, in fact, are already visible. The man who was praised to the skies for getting Thane rid of encroachments and giving the town clean and wide roads was referred to as credit-hog at a recent press conference held by corporators. The mayor, rather unfortunately, sided with his fellow corporators and led the attack. It would be sad if the truth became the casualty in this tussle and the corporators who misused their position to encourage illegal activities went unpunished. For, they have not only flouted therules, but also destroyed the trust that people had reposed in them.

At this stage, however, it looks like a lonely fight for Chandrashekhar. Because not only are corporators calling him names, the state government too is sitting on his proposals to deal with the menace of unauthorised structures. The proposals were sent to the Urban Development Ministry months before the Sairaj building crash brought Thane and its concrete jungles under sharp focus. The reason why the state government is dithering is clear: among other things that Chandrashekhar has demanded in his proposals is disqualification of corporators involved in illegal constructions. Now, that's a tricky proposition for a ruling party set to face elections in a year's time. But can the fact that 80 per cent of buildings in Thane are illegal and that Wagle Estate, Mumbra, Kausa and Kalwa are all swarming with potential Sairajs be denied? The truth always hurts, but that should not prevent us from acting upon it.

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