Juhu VIPs

pavements

Shatrughan Sinha

Hrithik Roshan

BMC

Watch: Juhu VIPs thrown off the pavements 01:12

Bulldozers at work outside the building where Hrithik Roshan and his family reside (top) and Shatrughan Sinha’s bungalow (above).

Jeetendra

Two Juhu bungalows admit encroaching and raze structures; BMC intensifies its JVPD drive Actor-politician Shatrughan Sinha’s security post on the pavement outside his bungalow was demolished six months ago.

The security post outside businessman Sumit Singh’s bungalow Sneh was razed to the ground by the BMC on Thursday. Structures outside many other bungalows were also demolished in the drive

Mumbai: Juhu VIPs encroach pavements, active residents file police complaints One of the flag-bearers of the protest, media honcho Vivek Bahl has repeatedly filed complaints against celebrities encroaching pavements in the neighbourhood,

The Mirror reports (left) on the Juhu footpath encroachments and the BMC action

Portions of 20 structures encroaching on footpaths razed, action against 13 buildings today.Ten days after givingan ultimatum to clearoutside their bungalows, the BMC, in a day-long demolition drive on Thursday, razed at least 20 encroachments. From actor politicianand actorto businessmen, hoteliers and celebrities, no one was spared.staff in orange vests with cranes and shovels went around the streets, clearing footpaths in the upscale neighbourhood.While Shatrughan Sinha had already removed the roof of the security shed outside his bungalow, the poles were intact. BMC workers pulled these out, before heading for Palazzo, the building which is home to Hrithik Roshan. After clearing the step-garden outside Palazzo, the civic staff cleared the pavements outside other prominent addresses like businessman Sumit Singh’s bungalow Sneh and Kalpataru bungalow, both on Road 9. Only those who had taken the BMC notice on August 20 seriously and had cleared the pavements on their own were left alone.Following a series of reports by Mumbai Mirror about Juhu residents using pavements outside their bungalows for security sheds, miniature gardens and aesthetic fronts, the BMC had served notices to 60 residents and given them a 48-hour deadline for selfdemolition. Ten owners in ward 67 and 50 in ward 69 were served notices. Many residents had asked the BMC for deferment and sought extra time to clear the areas. However, most encroachments existed even a week after the deadline had passed. Only a few owners rose to the need of pedestrian-friendly pavements and themselves cleared the public land. While four residents in ward 67 removed the encroachments themselves, 24 undertook the exercise in ward 69. The BMC cleared six encroachments in ward 67 and 13 in ward 69 on Thursday. The rest will be razed today.While veteran actorimmediately removed the lion sculptures and potted plants outside his bungalow Krishna, hotelier Vicky Oberoi is still in the process of digging out the miniature garden outside his bungalow Aura. Actor-politician Hema Malini was also among the recipients of the BMC notice but she herself removed the planters outside her residence.“Some owners had agreed to remove the structures outside their residences but had asked for more time. They even agreed to undertake the necessary renovation of the pavements at their own cost,” said a civic official from BMC’s K-West ward office. However, many of them, he said, were resisting the exercise and therefore this action was necessary.Juhu residents who had been protesting against blocked pavements for the past two years were delighted with BMC’s proactive approach. “I have not seen such a thing happening in the past 51 years that I have lived in Juhu. It’s sad to see how some residents feel entitled and say ‘humari pavement, humari parking’,” said advertising executive Vivek Bahl, who believes that this incident means that celebrity status doesn’t count in the eyes of law.Psychiatrist Anjali Chhabria who lives in Juhu also thinks that this demolition drive must be replicated in other parts of the city. “As citizens, we need to ensure we actually have footpaths that we cab walk on. We also need to keep the pavements clean,” she said.Ward 67 corporator Sudha Singh said the drive was evidence that the civic body does not differentiate between citizens. “Such complaints are usually made about hawkers and necessary action is immediately taken. Even when prominent citizens are involved, the BMC has acted as it should,” she said.