Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC) through its lawyer has stated in the Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court that although the civic administration has marked the property for the road widening, but it will acquire the property of the petitioner and initiate the further process only after serving notice. Hence accepting the statement as an assurance, the bench comprising Justice Manish Pitale and Justice Y G Khobragade disposed of the petition filed by Garware Hi-Tech Films Limited on July 15.
What was the petition?
According to the petition filed through Adv. Girish Naik-Thigale, the petitioner was allotted two plots by MIDC in the Chikalthana Industrial Area in 1975 for industrial construction. As per the approved layout, the petitioner constructed the main industrial building, a compound wall, and a security guard cabin on the allotted plots. After the construction was completed, MIDC also issued a ‘Completion Certificate’. The petitioner has been manufacturing polyester and specialty films at the site for the past five decades (50 years).
The petitioner argued that their property is located within the Chikalthana Industrial Area. As per the law, the authority for “planning and development” of this area, as well as for property acquisition, lies with MIDC, not with the Municipal Corporation. Despite this, on July 8, 2025, without issuing any prior notice, communication, or order, and without giving the petitioner an opportunity to present their side, officials from the municipal corporation, accompanied by police personnel, entered the petitioner’s premises. They marked the company’s compound wall and the security guard cabin with red paint, indicating that the property up to that point would be removed. Adv Suhas Urgunde represented the municipal corporation.
The petitioner claimed that the said marking campaign initiated by the respondents under the guise of “encroachment removal” or “road widening” is illegal.