HC expresses concern over encroachments in Cidco

- Constituted a new committee to undertake the study.

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad:

The Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh has constituted a new committee to resolve the core issue of encroachments in different sectors of Cidco and prepare a road map to get rid of it permanently. The next hearing on the public interest litigation (PIL) will be held on Thursday.

The committee will be headed by the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) administrator and will comprise Cidco administrator and advocates Anand Patil, D S Bagul, Subodh Shah, Siddheshwar Thombre and Uday Bopshetty as the members.

It may be noted that 36 years ago (in 1986), the first petition urging to remove the encroachments and provide adequate basic amenities to the residents of Cidco was filed in the High Court. However, things remain unchanged and the encroachments in the Cidco areas are as it was they were three decades ago or instead they have increased. This was revealed during the hearing on the PIL today.

In response to the first petition, the bench issued several orders. In 1990 and 2000, the drive to remove encroachments was implemented. However, after decades, the encroachments remained status quo, except for the size of documents in the litigation. Hence there was a need for a new petition. Hence the High Court with the consent of all ordered to file a new PIL on November 13, 2014. Accordingly, a ‘suo moto’ PIL (number 109/2015) was filed in the court and Adv Pradeep Deshmukh was appointed as the amicus curiae. He had submitted a 599-page report to the bench mentioning the available facilities and the encroachments in Cidco. However, due to his demise, the bench has now appointed Adv Ajit Kadhethankar as the friend of the court.

Moreover, many lawyers also brought to the notice of the court during the hearing that the roads have become narrow and it is impossible for two vehicles could pass at one time from the road. Hence the bench constituted the new committee.