While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) gears up to face the monsoon, the rehabilitation of about 13,000 hutments still continues to hinder the widening of major nullahs. This is likely to affect low-lying areas, where water logging takes place during heavy rains.
According to civic officials, after the 2005 deluge, the BMC decided to widen major nullahs in the city. However, there is an encroachment of 13,000 hutments on about 24 km of city nullahs. The nullah widening has been delayed due to the hutments, as their eligibility has not been decided yet.
Civic data says that presently there are 17,737 hutments that are coming in the way of widening of city nullahs. Out of these, the eligibility of 12,988 hutments has not been ascertained so far.
Out of hutments, 2,267 hutments have qualified for rehabilitation, while 2,452 have been deemed illegal.
“The eligibility is done by the collector office. However, it is going on slowly due to various reasons . Those (hutments), which fail in the process, will be removed and then nullah widening will be carried out immediately,” said a senior civic official.
