Maharashtra minister Bawankule asks BMC to halt demolition drive in north Mumbai till Ganeshotsav

Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. File Pic

The demolition of unauthorised constructions in North Mumbai has been put on hold until after Ganeshotsav, following directions from the Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, an official statement statement said on Wednesday.

The minister has also instructed that no notices be served to citizens during the festive season, saying the move was aimed at preventing panic among residents.

The decision comes after repeated demands from locals to temporarily pause demolition drives. Bawankule issued the instructions during a meeting at Mantralaya with BJP North Mumbai District President Deepak Tawade and officials from the Revenue Department.

He added that a detailed review will be held at the BMC office once the festival concludes, where a final decision on the matter will be taken.

While the BMC has flagged several structures as unauthorised, the minister assured that cases involving pre-2011 constructions would be given sympathetic consideration and could qualify for regulatory concessions. At the same time, he maintained a firm stance against irregularities, stressing that there would be no relief for cases involving forged maps or fraudulent documentation.

The controversy stems from a committee investigation that found discrepancies in 165 out of 884 boundary maps, as well as nine diagrams from the Goregaon City Survey Officer's records. These findings had prompted BMC's demolition actions, which have now been temporarily suspended until after the festival period.