On Monday, the Bombay High Court summoned the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi. Pardeshi appeared before the Bombay HC and informed the court that the civic body had sought help from the Maharashtra government to make BMC more powerful to act against illegal eateries in Mumbai.
Commissioner Pardeshi also told the High Court that the civic body would be streamlined in order to assist the court. A bench of Justices Shahrukh Kathawalla and Burgess Colabawalla had summoned Pardeshi after the BMC counsels and officers failed to assist the judges in a series of cases.
The civic chief was summoned by Bombay HC while hearing a petition regarding an eatery in suburban Kandivali, which has been functioning without any licence since 2016.
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As he appeared before the bench, Pardeshi said,
“We are seeking the help of the state government to amend the provisions pertaining to the municipal bodies and empower us to take stringent action against the illegal eateries.”
The major issue behind BMC not being to able to take stern action is that the civic body is not yet empowered to immediately shut down or seal the eateries that operate in the city wihtout a licence. If the BMC finds any such eatery, it only has powers to launch a prosecution, which goes on for years.
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During the course of the hearing, Pardeshi also notified the bench that the municipal corporation had appointed an IAS official to look over the functioning of BMC's legal department. As a result, the HC has adjourned the matter for passing appropriate orders.
The issue of illegal eateries and hawkers has been a nuisance for citizens for a long time. Due to these illegal eateries, the people have to face congested footpaths.
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