The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) recently conducted a demolition drive in Malad (West), Mumbai, which included tearing down illegal extensions at several sweet shops, including the famous MM Mithaiwala. The demolition was carried out as part of a road-widening project that was pending for years and aimed at easing traffic congestion in the area. The shop owners claimed that there was no illegality in their properties.
Road widening effect malad famous sweet shop
However, the civic officials stated that the illegal alterations were obstructing the road-widening project and causing traffic blockages for public vehicles. The demolished structures reportedly extended two meters horizontally and 30 feet vertically and included three sweet shop franchises, mobile and utility stores. The demolition has been appreciated by local residents and officials, including Pravin Muluk, Assistant Engineer ‘P’, and Kiran Digaonkar, Ward Officer of P North.
A hub for jewellers and fishermen, the Malad station area sees 1.2 lakh visitors every day. But because of the influx of hawkers and the presence of numerous businesses, this road has turned into a bottleneck that frequently experiences traffic jams.
Bmc suggestion malad road widening years ago
The BMC had suggested widening the road in order to ensure that the problem of traffic bottlenecks is resolved. This project was suggested a number of years ago, however due to encroachments, the project was never completed. According to BMC, the portions that were razed on Friday were illegal, however, shop owners claimed that their shops were completely legal.
