Mumbai: Administration completes clearance of Children’s Aid Society land in Mankhurd

The Mumbai suburban district administration on Tuesday cleared the final stretch of encroachment on a prime sixacre government land parcel leased to the Childrenrsquos Aid Society in Mankhurd In the final phase of a sustained administrative drive illegal shanties and groundplusonefloor residential structures occupying 10 gunthas approximately 10890 sq ft mdash valued at approximately R1042 crore mdash were demolished along the SionPanvel HighwayStretch clearedThe final phase of the operation on Tuesday targeted residential structures housing eight to 10 rooms belonging to a single family The operation began around 1130 am with excavators BMC personnel and police units deployed at the site Occupants were granted time to remove personal belongings before structures were brought down Police maintained law and order while civic teams oversaw demolition and debris clearanceCoordinated actionThe final operation on Tuesday was conducted by a joint team comprising the Suburban Collectorrsquos antiencroachment staff the local Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC ward office officials and the police The coordinated action enabled the civic administration to secure possession of the entire sixacre parcel estimated to be worth around R250 crore in the open market just hours ahead of a Bombay High Court hearing scheduled for 3 pm the same day The appeal was dismissed by Bombay High CourtDecadesold disputeThe dispute dates back to 1939 when the government allotted around 140 acres and six gunthas at Mankhurd and Deonar to the Childrenrsquos Aid Society under specific lease conditions Over the decades revenue records revealed around 23 acres were subleased to five private parties without permission leading to illegal occupation and unauthorised developmentRs 250 crore land parcelThe sixacre parcel along the SionPanvel Highway represents one of Mankhurdrsquos most valuable real estate tracts The broader encroached space previously included 57 unauthorised commercial units removed in earlier phases of the operation last monthHistory of revenue disputegtgt Government grants original land allotment to the Childrenrsquos Aid Society in 1939gtgt 23 acres of land was subleased to five entities without state approvalgtgt Mumbai Suburban Collector directs eviction drives on land in 2018gtgt Appeals before higher revenue authorities and the Maharashtra Revenue Minister rejected paving the way for final clearanceProperty valuation amp clearance breakdownTotal Land Parcel Approximately 6 acresEstimated market value Rs 250 croreArea cleared in final phase 10 gunthas 10890 sq ftFinal phase value Rs 1042 croreStructures demolished Illegal shanties groundplusone residential unitsSecuring reclaimed landWith the physical structures cleared the administrationrsquos focus has shifted to securing the perimeter and finalising government file workOfficial SpeakSaurab Katiyar suburban collectorlsquoWe demolished around 57 unauthorised commercial units on the land The residential shanties were spared at the time on humanitarian grounds due to the monsoon This action completes the clearance of the entire parcel and is part of our ongoing drive to reclaim government land from encroachmentsrsquoPadmakar Rokade additional collector encroachmentlsquoThe operation was possible because of coordination among all the agencies involved The entire Childrenrsquos Aid Society land parcel is now free of encroachment The government will decide now on future usersquo