HC asks Mah Govt to demolish illegal structures at Haji Ali

Mumbai, Feb 5 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today directed the Maharashtra government to demolish 20 illegal structures, constructed on the pathway to the famous Haji Ali shrine in Central Mumbai.

A division bench, comprising Justice J N Patel and Justice S C Dharamadhikari, gave the direction in response to an old petition filed by the Haj Ali Dargah Trust, seeking the court's nod to demolish these structures as they created obstruction for the visiting devotees and posed danger to the beauty of the hertiage structure.

Advocate Amjad Sayed, appearing on behalf of the state government, told the court that the state and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had earlier demolished most of the illegal structures, and few of them had obtained a stay order from the High Court or from the Divisional Commissioner of the Konkan Bhavan.

The Court directed the state to demolish all the illegal structures, except those which had obtained the stay order.

Meanwhile, the court has also directed the Divisional Commissioner of the Konkan Bhavan to expedite the hearing of the hawkers plea and dispose it within four weeks' time.

UNI