BMC completed demolition in just 13,211 of 2.14 lakh illegal construction complaints

Over 10 years 214917 complaints were registered on the RETMS portal 116228 marked as duplicates leaving 98689 actual complaints Demolition completed in just 13211 cases An RTI has exposed the shocking state of BMCs functioningWhile the Maharashtra government dreams of transforming Mumbai into Shanghai shocking revelations through the Right to Information RTI Act suggest that the functioning of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC is undermining this visionWith the problem of illegal constructions in Mumbai becoming increasingly serious questions have been raised over the effectiveness of the civic bodys online RETMS complaint system which was introduced to facilitate action against such structuresTragedies involving illegal constructions including the Kamala Mills compound fire Bhanu Farsan Mart fire Hotel City Kinara fire the Hussaini building collapse in Bhendi Bazaar and the Sai Siddhi building collapse in Ghatkopar have claimed several lives These incidents have once again highlighted the importance of taking timely action against unauthorised structuresTo enable citizens to lodge complaints against illegal constructions the BMC introduced its online RETMS complaint system on March 1 2016RTI activist Shakeel Ahmed Shaikh had sought information from the Encroachment and Removal Department Eastern Suburbs regarding complaints registered on the system notices issued and demolition action taken The information provided by the Public Information Officer and Assistant Engineer Encroachment Removal Eastern Suburbs has brought the civic bodys functioning under scrutiny116228 out of 214917 complaints marked as duplicatesAccording to the Wardwise Details Summary Count Report prepared by the BMC on October 26 2026 a total of 214917 complaints were registered on the RETMS portal between March 1 2016 and October 26 2026Of these as many as 116228 complaints were declared duplicates leaving 98689 actual complaints as per the reportThe figures relating to demolition action are even more alarming Compared to the total number of complaints registered demolition was completed in only 13211 cases accounting for approximately 615 per centNotably out of the total 214917 complaints 116228 were classified as duplicates Transparency is required regarding the criteria used to classify complaints as duplicates the verification process followed and whether the concerned complainants were informed about the classificationSimilarly while the report states that demolition is required in 29916 cases actual demolition has been completed in only 13211 cases The administration needs to make public the current status of all cases requiring demolition and the action taken in the remaining casesTop five wards Complaints versus demolition actionL Ward 30935 complaints only 637 demolition actionsKEast Ward 24064 complaints only 1325 demolition actionsMEast Ward 14510 complaints only 159 demolition actionsPSouth Ward 14424 complaints only 1932 demolition actionsKWest Ward 11433 complaints only 1683 demolition actionsCrores spent every year yet illegal constructions continue to flourishAccording to RTI activist Shakeel Ahmed Shaikh the BMCs Building and Factory Department spends approximately Rs 50 crore annually on action against illegal constructions police protection and other administrative resources He also claimed that more than 15000 notices are issued every yearHowever with the proportion of actual demolition action remaining extremely low the expenditure and the results achieved need to be made publicShaikh has also alleged that in certain cases only paperwork or what he termed bogus action is being carried outParticularsNumbersTotal complaints registered on RETMS214917Complaints declared duplicates116228Actual complaints remaining98689Notices prepared60332Notices issued57521Showcause orders SO issued31486Cases requiring demolition29916Demolition arrangements pending15318Demolition arrangements made1387Demolitions completed13211Notices closed after demolition3428Complaints closed38098Complaints awaiting closure13734