After Supreme Court Rap, Civic Body Removes Encroachments From Mumbai Plot

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday removed 27 commercial structures from a plot reserved for a bus station in Mumbai, a day after the Supreme Court ordered a freeze on the salary of the civic chief over non-compliance with its directions.

The BMC has cleared the encroachment on the piece of land located on Swami Vivekanand Road in Borivali East, a western suburb, the corporation said in a statement.

It said that the drive was carried out on the 3,400-square-metre plot reserved for a Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) bus station under Town Planning Scheme-II.

The BMC's R-Central ward carried out the operation with the help of 70 workers and employees, while police personnel were also mobilised to maintain security, it said.

On Tuesday, an top court bench issued a contempt notice to Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide for failing to remove encroachments from the land and ordered a freeze on her November salary and other civic officials concerned.

The three-judge bench also rejected the civic body's request for an additional 30 days to comply with its earlier directions and imposed costs of Rs 5 lakh.

The Borivali plot has been the subject of a prolonged legal dispute between the BMC and a private developer.

In August 2025, the SC directed the developer to hand over the plot, free of encroachments, along with an administrative building, to the civic corporation. 

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