Mumbai suburban collector’s office razes 220 illegal godowns on 14-acre plot along Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road

Mumbai: In a major anti-encroachment drive, the Mumbai suburban collector’s office demolished 220 illegal godowns on a 14-acre plot along the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR).This is the second major anti-encroachment drive in the area. In April, an 11-acre plot was cleared of over 1,200 hutments and the plot was handed over to the central jail authorities for a proposed jail. The two plots face each other and on the opposite side of GMLR.Mumbai suburban collector Saurabh Katiyar said the godowns were commercial structures and were being used for various types of goods including scrap material. Sources said demolition of godowns has been carried out on multiple occasions. The last major drive was in 2022.The collector’s office is now putting up tin sheet barricades around the plot and blocking access to prevent entry to the plot. A senior official said the anti-encroachment office does not have the wherewithal to protect the plot and has requested the state government to hand over the plot to a government agency at the earliest.