Appalled by the insanitary conditions here, he called Ulhasnagar the biggest slum on earth. ``If there is hell anywhere on earth it is here,'' he told Express Newsline after a series of meetings with corporators and civic officials.

``We are not here to start a witch-hunt but none of the unauthorised structures built on reserved plots and space meant for roads under the Development Plan, will be spared,'' he said, referring to the incestuous nexus between corporators, builders and civic officials that has earned the town epithets and notoriety alike.

Following a tour of the township with newly-appointed officer-on-special duty, R D Shinde, he remarked: ``Only the foolhardy who have money to wastewill continue with illegal constructions now.'' Only persons who fulfill the necessary conditions will get permission for construction, within seven days, he said. As for civic officials trying to arm-twist members of the public, he promised speedy redressal following complaints. According to him, only by exercising administrative and political will, optimising resources and enlisting public cooperation can a modicum of planning be introduced in Ulhasnagar, which falls under the mega-city plan of the Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority.

Earlier, he met corporators who requested him to stall demolitions in the township till the forthcoming parliamentary and Assembly elections conclude as such action could seriously hamper their prospects, sources in the corporation said.