MUMBAI: When on one hand the rich people get absolved of the crime that they commit everyday, the poor next door suffer in the absence of powers to twist the law and bend the administrators.
The glaring example: the collector land leased out to kora kendra in Borivali west where the exhibitions and functions continue in one of the portions despite being not allowed as per the lease, the 25-years old chawl on another piece of the same land was evicted within a few hours despite the court's stay, leaving over 25-30 families homeless. Interestingly, certain parts of the land also have illegally built commercial shops, rooms and hotels which stand untouched by the authorities.
On April 3, damu mhatre chawl situated on a section of the collector land was demolished by deploying heavy men and machinery, despite the senior revenue staff being on strike. Incidentally, the other side of the same land was seen rented out for an exhibition that has been originally leased out to Khadi Village and industries association, a private trust also known as Kora kendra. Then revenue minister Chandrakantdada Patil had ordered to take back the kendra land citing commercial misuse in violation of the lease clause conditions which clearly stated that plots were for promotion of khadi products and for agriculture purposes and not for renting out to third parties for functions or exhibitions. However, later upon Patil's order Kora Kendra approached Bombay HC and obtained an order that said 'no coercive steps shall be taken against the petitioner' and thus managed to maintain the status quo. "However, no coercive steps does not mean renting out the area again and again going against the law," said Reji Abraham, a social activist.
