Instruct public works department to raze illegal ghat on Ulhas river, Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation tells Maharashtra irrigation department

Ulhasnagar: Days after the state irrigation department declared the ghat being built on Ulhas river using BJP MLA Kumar Ailani's funds as illegal and instructed Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) to demolish it, the civic body said that as public works department (PWD) is building the ghat, it should raze it too. UMC commissioner Manisha Awhale told TOI that they will write to the irrigation department urging them to direct PWD to demolish the illegal ghat. Of the Rs 7-crore ghat project, more than Rs 3 crore has been spent, said sources. In 2022, PWD started work after Ailani disbursed MLA funds to build the ghat for Ganpati immersions and a walking path behind Regency Antilia society. Activist Sarita Khanchandani complained to UMC that hundreds of trees were illegally cut on the banks and cement construction was illegally done inside the river bed. A wall was also built to divert the flow of the river, which could cause a flood situation in the surrounding villages during heavy rain, she complained. When UMC did not respond, Khanchandani complained to the irrigation department and Thane collector. Earlier, this week, the irrigation department directed UMC to "remove the unauthorised constructions and fillings in Ulhas riverbed". Sena (UBT)'s Ulhasnagar deputy city chief Dilip Mishra accused Ailani of misusing public money to carry out the illegal construction and demanded a probe by state govt.Earlier, Ailani had told TOI that the ghat being built in Ulhas River is legal and he has already planted 200 trees in place of the cut trees.Ulhas river, a vital water source for around 50 lakh people in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including Ulhasnagar, Kalyan- Dombivli, Ambernath and Badlapur, remains in news for pollution-related complaints from citizens. In the past, the National Green Tribunal had issued orders to different authorities to address the pollution of Ulhas River. These orders include imposing environmental damage compensation, forming investigation committees, and directing govt bodies to take action.