Thane News: SHRC Pulls Up Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation Over Illegal Constructions On Govt Land, Demands Affidavit

Thane: The State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has recently pulled up the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) after it failed to convincingly explain why it could not remove unauthorized constructions raised on government land within its jurisdiction.

The SHRC has directed the Administrator of the Municipal Corporation to file an affidavit detailing the status of the removal of these illegal structures, emphasizing that it is the statutory duty of the Corporation to eliminate all unauthorized constructions within the municipal limits.

The case was filed in 2024 by social activist and environmentalist Advocate Sarita Khanchandani, a resident of Ulhasnagar, against the Corporation, the Thane Collector, and several other authorities. She sought urgent intervention from the SHRC to curb illegal encroachments and unauthorized constructions inside the riverbed of the Waldhuni River.

Advocate Khanchandani, a trustee of the NGO Hirali Foundation, stated that she filed the petition in pursuit of environmental justice.

According to the petition, Advocate Sarita had lodged several complaints since April 2023 regarding rampant illegal constructions at various locations along the Waldhuni River—particularly in the Kheti Area (Section 20), Sukhdev Compound, and opposite Behrani Paradise. Despite repeated complaints, the authorities allegedly failed to act.

The petition includes documentary evidence such as complaints made via Twitter, emails, and photographs that show the construction of illegal foundations, commercial sheds, and even multi-storey buildings directly on the riverbed. It also highlights the continued construction of new unauthorized structures, including a marriage lawn near Shantinagar, despite earlier demolition orders.

The petition further asserts that the inaction of the authorities has exacerbated environmental issues, including severe flooding of the Waldhuni River.

Consequently, the petitioner has sought SHRC’s intervention to demolish all illegal structures to protect the city’s environmental integrity.

In a separate petition before the SHRC, Advocate Khanchandani has also filed a complaint against the Ambernath Municipal Corporation (AMC) and other connected authorities for allegedly violating heritage protection laws.

“Ambernath’s ancient Ambereshwar Mandir, popularly known as Shiv Mandir, is currently under the protection of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as a declared heritage monument. As per the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act (AMASR), 1958, no construction activity is permitted within a 300-meter radius of such a monument. However, the AMC has reportedly violated this law by conducting excavation and digging activities within the prohibited area,” said Advocate Sarita Khanchandani.

She further alleged that the AMC has also undertaken illegal concretization work along the Waldhuni River near the temple, causing damage to the river’s riparian ecosystem.