Mumbai: With monsoon approaching and fears of flooding in the chronically waterlogged Parel railway station area mounting, BMC has launched a crackdown on contractors working on the Sewri-Worli Elevated Road project, demolishing illegal site structures and slapping penalties of over a crore on agencies like MMRDA linked to the work.The action follows a high-level meeting held last week after ward officials raised concerns that construction activity, encroachments on footpaths and debris dumping along key stretches could worsen waterlogging in the low-lying Parel belt.The BMC starting last week demolished 5 contractor chowkies and 3 godowns erected on municipal footpaths in Parel. Officials said contractors had not obtained permissions even for stacking construction material on public pathways.In a notice issued to MMRDA’s superintendent engineer, BMC demanded payment of Rs 1.39 crore towards ground rent charges for alleged unauthorised use of footpaths between May 2024 and May 2025. It also warned if the amount is not paid, it should be recovered from contractors’ running bills. The notice directed contractors to immediately clear all construction material and said fresh nod would be required even for partial use of footpaths for material stacking. “If the footpath is found used for stacking material without permission, you will be charged… by imposing necessary penalty,” BMC stated.The BMC has also imposed penalties linked to project works, including Rs 3.7 lakh towards dewatering charges, damage to the stormwater drain network, manholes and water entrances, and Rs 14.85 lakh for damage caused to a water main. It has also recovered Rs 81,144 from MMRDA under the construction and demolition waste policy, while debris removal operations are underway. Additional municipal commissioner Dr. Ashwini Joshi said a review meeting was held with MMRDA officials. “Our staff found blocked stormwater inlets and damage to the water main. The ward staff has raised other issues regarding damaged stormwater drains and covered manholes,” she said. Additional metropolitan commissioner Vikram Kumar said, “Containers were there for past 7 months. Given urgency ahead of monsoon, they have been removed to ensure footpaths are free for public use.” While he acknowledged procedural issues related to nod and ground rent charges, he added these were being addressed. On infra repairs, he said damage to the sewer network is being rectified. In case of the water main damage, he said no penalty notice has been received yet.“
