[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Mumbai, July 29: The Brihanmumbai Corporation or BMC has begun the demolition of seven commercial structures linked to mafia don Dawood Ibrahim.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The compound in south Mumbai houses Sara Sahara shopping centres, which are said to be illegal structures built without proper permission.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bulldozers tore down the buildings amid a huge police presence at the scene. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There are about 200 personnel - the largest deployment for any demolition in the city. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In May the Supreme Court gave the green signal for the demolition. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Another property - Mehjabeen in Temkar street also said to be owned by Ibrahim was demolished in 1995. He is believed to be the owner of 12 properties in Mumbai. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The demolition was scheduled for last week but postponed after police said they would be unable to provide security.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"The situation is tense. The blasts just occurred, the Ganesh festival is coming up, this area is very sensitive and there's also a history. Keeping all these factors in mind, we have made these arrangements," said the Joint Commissioner of Police for Law and Order, Arup Patnaik The first order to demolish Sara Sahara was given in 2005 after it became clear that several civic officials in connivance with the underworld had made the land available to the D Company. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Four civic officials were charged under MCOCA - the first time state government officers were charged under the Act. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The demolition was stalled for a year because shopkeepers in the complex kept appealing in court. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In May 2006 the Supreme court said the structures must be brought down and a last minute defense appeal at the MCOCA court was rejected.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Maharashtra Control for Organised Crime Act Court Judge Mridula Bhatkar had visited the site on July 25 for inspection and gave an order for demolition of the twin complexes to the civic body. But an application is pending with the Bombay High Court, for which the civic authority did not demolish the complex. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In this case, eight accused were arrested -- Iqbal Kaskar, younger brother of Dawood Ibrahim, Abdul Sattar, Abdul Rehman Sheikh, Tariq Praveen, an aide of Chhota Shakeel and civic officials -- Kiran Acharekar, Shirish Shalvekar, Narendra Rajbhar and Hashmukh Shah for giving a clearance certificate for construction of the illegal complex.
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Source : Central Chronicle
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The compound in south Mumbai houses Sara Sahara shopping centres, which are said to be illegal structures built without proper permission.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Bulldozers tore down the buildings amid a huge police presence at the scene. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]There are about 200 personnel - the largest deployment for any demolition in the city. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In May the Supreme Court gave the green signal for the demolition. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Another property - Mehjabeen in Temkar street also said to be owned by Ibrahim was demolished in 1995. He is believed to be the owner of 12 properties in Mumbai. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The demolition was scheduled for last week but postponed after police said they would be unable to provide security.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"The situation is tense. The blasts just occurred, the Ganesh festival is coming up, this area is very sensitive and there's also a history. Keeping all these factors in mind, we have made these arrangements," said the Joint Commissioner of Police for Law and Order, Arup Patnaik The first order to demolish Sara Sahara was given in 2005 after it became clear that several civic officials in connivance with the underworld had made the land available to the D Company. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Four civic officials were charged under MCOCA - the first time state government officers were charged under the Act. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The demolition was stalled for a year because shopkeepers in the complex kept appealing in court. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In May 2006 the Supreme court said the structures must be brought down and a last minute defense appeal at the MCOCA court was rejected.[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Maharashtra Control for Organised Crime Act Court Judge Mridula Bhatkar had visited the site on July 25 for inspection and gave an order for demolition of the twin complexes to the civic body. But an application is pending with the Bombay High Court, for which the civic authority did not demolish the complex. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In this case, eight accused were arrested -- Iqbal Kaskar, younger brother of Dawood Ibrahim, Abdul Sattar, Abdul Rehman Sheikh, Tariq Praveen, an aide of Chhota Shakeel and civic officials -- Kiran Acharekar, Shirish Shalvekar, Narendra Rajbhar and Hashmukh Shah for giving a clearance certificate for construction of the illegal complex.
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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Source : Central Chronicle
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