News Archive of Ulhasnagar / Sindhunagar City

THE state orchestrated Ulhasnagar's bailout last week, but its civic chief is finding its implementation more than a handful.

Retired lawyer Ram Jethmalani has decided to take up the cause of the Sindhi community in Ulhasnagar. In a meeting with legislator Suresh Kalani and 16 others at his home yesterday, Jethmalani declared that he would contest the demolition orders in the high court.

A day after the Democratic Front (DF) government in Maharashta announced an ordinance to regularise virtually all illegal structures in Ulhasnagar, banners in the refugee township are hailing the decision

As Ulhasnagar rejoiced a day after the state government announced an ordinance regularising unauthorised structures, the demolition drive continued in deference to a Bombay High Court order. It was, however, confined to just one building.

After all-night celebrations, even the demolition hammers at Ulhasnagar seemed somewhat muted yesterday. And if that is any indication, the three buildings, where demolitions had begun, may even be spared, like the other 852 structures.

The state may have moved to save 855 Ulhasnagar buildings from demolition yesterday, but there are three buildings it won't be able to bail out.

A picture taken with a mobile phone camera shows residents celebrating, soon after government announced its decision to regularise illegal constructions till January 2005

In a move that will have repercussions across the state, the Vilasrao Deshmukh government on Tuesday decided to regularise over 30,000 illegal buildings in Ulhasnagar. The Cabinet decision will be sent to governor SM Krishna for his assent on Wednesday after which the ordinance will be promulgated.

The state government on Tuesday decided to issue an ordinance to regularise all illegal constructions and encroachments built on or before January 1, 2005.

The Maharashtra government Tuesday decided to regularise around 30,000 illegal buildings in Ulhasnagar town in Thane district which faced demolition in keeping with a high court directive.

The Maharashtra government has found a way out of demolishing Ulhasnagar, an illegal township near Mumbai.

THE state government, which has gone into overdrive hunting for a legal solution that could help regularise Ulhasnagar's 855 illegal buildings, is now considering issuing an ordinance.

As demolition crews took the hammer to Laxmi Ganga Niwas, an unauthorised building in Ulhasnagar's Bewas Chowk locality, on Friday, Deepak Vaswani watched. He feared for his building, also unauthorised, and also on the demolition list.

We are ready. There will be no problem now. They will start in a day or two, said Ulhasnagar Municipal Commissioner D S Patil, after a long silence since taking charge on December 9.

THE police are ready, so is the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC). But 10 days into his job, Municipal Commissioner D S Patil is yet to direct his demolition squad to act against the 855 illegal buildings in the suburb.

This should be a wake-up call for you if the building you live in is unauthorised. Seeing the mayhem in Ulhasnagar and Delhi, where illegal structures sprouted at the drop of the hat and are now the target of demolition orders by the courts, the BMC is keeping its bulldozers ready.

Bulldozers are revving up to rumble into Ulhasnagar today and the second round of demolitions, that the township of illegal buildings has been living in fear of, is slated to begin.

Ulhasnagar's Sindhi connection has paid off. On Monday, eminent criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani agreed to advise the state government and appear as counsel, if needed, before the Bombay High Court.

Apart from ordering the demolition of 855 unauthorised buildings in Ulhasnagar, the April 27 2005 judgment of the Mumbai High Court, a copy of which is with Sunday Mid Day, also issues directives concerning the welfare of the displaced residents. We spoke to the authorities on the case. Here what we found

Under fire over the Ulhasnagar demolitions, the Maharashtra government is looking for relief from the Nandlal Committee report.

Frame special rules. Approach high court for stay on demolitions. Implement Nandlal committee report on unplanned development: State Legislative Council.

Punish 83 officers, 31 elected representatives, dissolve municipal corporation, said Nandlal. Ignored and buried, his 1999 report was extricated by Newsline.

DS Patil, Ulhasnagar's new commissioner, inspected the fire brigade premises, strolled around his headquarters, and ordered flowers to be planted in the lawn.

Will submit affidavit in High Court saying the town was meant to rehabilitate displaced Sindhis and must be seen as a special case

The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to stay the ongoing demolition of unauthorised constructions at Ulhasnagar, a Mumbai suburb, witnesssing large scale protest by its resident against the drive likely to render around one lakh people roofless. "Why should we entertain such petitions?" A Bench headed by Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal said questioning why the petitioners have come now against the April 27 judgement."

Sunday morning, reading the newspapers, I try to come to grips with what is happening in Ulhasnagar. It is not easy..

The builders of Ulhasnagar primarily and the residents too can be made to pay for the crime committed by them. That would be a practical, wise and merciful thing to do..

AFTER days of functioning without a head, the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) was in full attendance on Friday as D A Patil (55) took over as municipal commissioner on Friday morning.

Ulhasnagar’s acting municipal commissioner R D Shinde has said there will be no demolitions of illegal buildings in the township today. Reacting to the Bombay High Court order to resume the demolitions, Shinde said the administration had yet to receive the court order and any action could be decided only after it got the order.

Kidnapped Ulhasnagar kid rescued in MP Three-year-old Chirag Kesarwani, who was abducted from Ulhasnagar on Monday night, was rescued by the Madhya Pradesh police on Tuesday from Burhanpur railway station. Three persons have been arrested in connection with the abduction. Acting on a tip-off from the Thane police, the MP police launched a combing operation in Burhanpur. The Thane police had apparently intercepted a call made by the abductors to the boy's family in Ulhasnagar. The call was traced to Burhanpur. The Madhya Pradesh police arrested four persons roaming suspiciously. And interrogating the four led the police to Chirag. An officer said the arrested used to work at a garage in Ulhasnagar and they probably knew the kid and his family. Although no one confirmed that any ransom had been paid, the police did not rule out a possibility. It has, however, been learnt that a ransom of Rs 4 lakh was paid by the boy's family. The Madhya Pradesh police are looking into the matter.

There may finally be some good news for the thousands of Sindhis living in Ulhasnagar, who were to be rendered homeless through the implementation of the Bombay High Court’s order of demolishing 855 illegally built buildings.