Mumbai, Apr 23 (PTI) Amid a controversy over the demolition of a Jain temple in Mumbai’s Vile Parle area, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday directed its officials to strictly follow the Supreme Court guidelines while demolishing any unauthorised constructions.

In a review meeting on illegal structures in Mumbai city and suburbs held at the civic headquarters, BMC’s Additional Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Joshi also instructed the officials not to show any laxity in taking action against unauthorised structures, and that all departments concerned must coordinate their efforts effectively.

A major controversy erupted last week after the BMC’s K-East Ward on April 16 demolished a Jain temple or ‘chaitalaya’ inside Neminath Cooperative Housing Society in Vile Parle, claiming it to be an unauthorised structure. , the civic body also transferred its ward officer.

In a release issued on Wednesday evening, the BMC said that during the meeting, Joshi emphasized that while the civic body has been following most of the court-mandated procedures, it must now intensify action with meticulous adherence to directives such as proper documentation and video recording of demolition drives.

As per the release, Joshi noted that the pace of demolitions from January to March 2025 was relatively slow, and called for speeding up of operations during April and May. She reiterated that no negligence or delay would be tolerated and ordered strict implementation of the Supreme Court’s directives.

Joshi stressed that action against unauthorised structures was particularly crucial before the monsoon, and also instructed administrative departments to share detailed data on unauthorised constructions with the assessment department for immediate imposition of penalties. PTI KK NP