Politics · India Bureau
Supreme Court Freezes BMC Chief's Salary Over BEST Bus Station Encroachments
The Supreme Court has suspended the salary of Mumbai's civic chief Ashwini Bhide for failing to clear illegal encroachments on land earmarked for a BEST bus depot in Borivali East. The freeze marks an escalation in the court's efforts to enforce compliance with its earlier directives.
LSN India ·
India's apex court has taken the unprecedented step of freezing the salary of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ashwini Bhide over the administration's failure to remove unauthorized structures from a site designated for a BEST (Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport) bus station in Borivali East.
The action represents a significant enforcement measure by the Supreme Court, which had previously issued directives to clear the encroached land. The non-compliance prompted the court to impose the salary suspension as a mechanism to ensure adherence to its orders and expedite removal of the illegal occupants.
The Borivali East plot had been reserved for BEST infrastructure development, a critical component of Mumbai's public transport network. The persistence of unauthorized structures on the site has hampered implementation of the planned bus depot, affecting transit services in the eastern suburbs.
The court's decision underscores the judiciary's determination to enforce compliance from civic authorities in matters concerning public infrastructure and land utilization. The suspension will remain in effect until the BMC demonstrates substantive progress in removing the encroachments and securing the designated land for its intended public purpose.