The encroachments surrounding Jogeshwari caves will soon be removed to make way for a green sprawling garden. The plan, however, attracted criticism from the city’s corporators who said that the illegal structures in the area should not be removed without a proper rehabilitation plan for the locals.

They also demanded that all the existing dwellers in the area be provided tenements close by. The proposal permitting the development of the area around the 6th century AD Jogeshwari caves was discussed in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Improvement Committee on Wednesday. The Bombay High Court had earlier ordered to remove unauthorised structures around the area and designate the encroachments-free land as a ‘garden’. After the final nod of the civic body, the illegal structures will be removed and a garden will be developed.

Though the civic administration has already given its approval for the proposal of reserving the heritage precinct as public garden, the corporators said it was unfair on the part of government to remove the dwellers without a proper rehabilitation plan. “These structures have been in existence from years, no one ever raised any objection when the construction was being carried out and suddenly the government wants to demolish them. The civic amenities for the residents have been ignored for all these years and many do not even have power or water connection,” said Suresh Khopkar, a Congress corporator.

NCP corporator Vidya Chavan said that the structures should not be demolished during the monsoon and only after tenements for all the local residents are identified should the structure be removed. Shiv Sena corporator Manmohan Chonkar demanded that rehabilitation be carried out in the same area.

... contd.