The Bombay High Court on Tuesday sought to know how the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and CIDCO will prevent new illegal constructions during the next three months, after the civic body said manpower shortages could affect demolition action during a special intensive revision exercise and the upcoming festival period.
The question was raised during a hearing before a bench of Justices Ajay Gadkari and Kamal Khata on a contempt petition concerning illegal constructions in Navi Mumbai. The petition was filed by advocate Kishor Shetty, who claimed that more than 4,000 illegal structures existed in the city and that the municipal corporation and CIDCO had failed to take adequate action against them.
Senior advocate Anil Anturkar, appearing for the municipal corporation, told the court that the special intensive revision work and the festival period were likely to create a shortage of personnel over the next three months. As a result, the active demolition campaign against illegal constructions could be affected, according to the submission reported during the hearing.
The court took note of the manpower constraint but asked what preventive steps would be taken if new illegal structures came up during this period. The bench also asked whether the civic authorities had already put preventive measures in place to stop fresh construction.
The hearing forms part of continuing judicial oversight of the action being taken against unauthorised construction in Navi Mumbai. The municipal corporation told the court that the court’s monitoring had reduced political interference in demolition operations. It also said that adequate police protection was now available during demolition drives because of court directions.
According to the municipal corporation’s submission, action had been taken against 25 additional illegal constructions by September 7, 2026. The report did not specify the locations, nature or status of those structures, nor did it provide details of the preventive mechanism proposed for the coming three months.
The court has scheduled the next hearing after three weeks. Until then, the central issue before the authorities is not only the continuation of demolition operations but also the prevention of new illegal construction while municipal manpower is deployed for other official duties and festival-related requirements.
