Navi Mumbai: An assistant municipal commissioner of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC), who had a miscarriage following a demolition drive in Airoli in July, has declined to accept the Rs 25 lakh compensation awarded by the Bombay High Court last month.
In a communication to the state chief secretary and additional chief secretary of the urban development department, she mentioned that it was a part of duty, while emphasising for adequate protection to civic officers on duty.
The demolition drive was conducted on July 30 in Airoli sector-2 where a group of protesters had allegedly gheraoed NMMC officials. They were also revealing their political contacts in the presence of the police. Some of them openly traded barbs of alleged bribe payments to the civic officials even as police allegedly turned mute spectators to the incident. The NMMC brought this issue before the HC through filing an affidavit.
The HC bench has been hearing a contempt petition filed by advocate Kishor Shetty with respect to a PIL on illegal constructions in Navi Mumbai. The deputy municipal commissioner (encroachment) Sanjay Shinde had filed the affidavit.
Justices A S Gadkari and Kamal Khata, observing lacunae in the Rabale police action, ordered for the compensation on August 12. Liberty was given to the state government to recover the amount from the police personnel present during the demolition drive.
In her two-page letter, dated August 31, the assistant municipal commissioner mentions that the incident will remain forever memorable as it has caused immense personal loss besides emotional and physical pain. Possibly, no amount of compensation could fill the same. She has expressed her gratitude to the HC over the order.
The NMMC has submitted that between June 16 and September 7, 88 illegal structures have been demolished. The civic body has conducted 5,213 hearings on the illegal constructions, besides filing 11 FIRs.
