New dawn in the Maha wild west? Palghar Collector slaps first 2 MRTP orders on illegal constructions

Palghar: In a bid to deter illegal constructions, land-grabbing and encroachments, the Palghar Collectorate has recently passed its first two orders under the stringent Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act on a private electronics major operating in the Boisar west township, officials said here on Wednesday.

The MRTP notice has been slapped on DIGI-1, a prominent electronics retailer, which was found to be operating on illegal premises leased out by the alleged licensor, a purported local roughie Firdaus Irani, on the ancestral property owned by a Mumbai medico, Dr. Tanaz Irani.

The Collector's notices have ordered that the illegal building should be demolished within 30 days and restored to its original status, lawyers fighting the case said.

The second order has been served for the illegal constructions carried out on Dr. Tanaz Irani’s property of over four acres in Boisar east, by the same Firdauz Irani.

The so-called licensor, Firdaus Irani, had collected a whopping monthly rent of Rs 4.60 lakhs for the past several years from the DIGI-1 showroom, which he has been accused of grabbing.

Exercising his powers, the Palghar Collector empowered the Tehsildar, who acted on a complaint by Dr. Tanaz Irani to pass the unprecedented orders, directing the removal of the illegal, 3-storey building of DIGI-1, said Advocate Prashant Uchil.

"This marks the beginning of the clean-up process of unauthorised structures for planned development of the region in consonance with the MRTP Act," the lawyer Uchil pointed out.

Carved out of Thane district in August 2014, the Palghar has often been referred to as a dubious 'wild west' of Maharashtra for various reasons, though now the reputation is gradually changing.

In both the cases, Firdaus Irani was charged with not taking proper permissions from all the concerned authorities or the legal owners for carrying out the illegal constructions and earning crores from the rentals, the details or accounts of which are not known, said a family member of Dr. Tanaz Irani.

"Despite the clear orders, the concerned local authorities have not yet initiated the demolition process and we plan to appeal and get the Collector’s directives implemented on priority," said the family member.

Plagued by massive illegal construction activities, land-grabbing and other problems, the picturesque Palghar town and other parts of the state's newest coastal district -- bordering Gujarat -- have suddenly come to the limelight as it will be a major halt for the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train.

As a result, various local bodies are now going all out to scrupulously implement/enforce the relevant town planning laws and making all constructions/business in tune with the MRTP Act provisions as it could become a future destination for investments and tourism.