‘Waterlogging is our own creation’: Bombay HC says Mumbai floods can’t be blamed on BMC alone

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said Mumbai’s recurring monsoon waterlogging cannot be blamed solely on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), observing that encroachments, clogged drains and misuse of public infrastructure have played a major role in the city’s flooding woes.

Hearing a case related to road widening in Mandala village on the Sion-Trombay stretch, a bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad remarked that citizens also bear responsibility for the situation.

“We are destined to see rainwater on roads. We cannot help it. We have an uncanny knack for grabbing lands. We block the gutters. One small spell of rain blocks the roads. It is our own creation,” Acting Chief Justice Ghuge observed.

The bench also criticised the misuse of public spaces, noting that footpaths built for pedestrians are often occupied by food stalls and other encroachments. “Corporation gave us footpaths, we started having pav bhaji stalls on them. Our habit is to rob our own motherland,” the judge remarked.

Court seeks DAE’s response on road project

The observations came while hearing the BMC’s plea seeking land from the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to widen a road in Mandala village from 30 feet to 50 feet.

The High Court issued a notice to the DAE after the BMC informed it that it had already removed encroachments from land under its control, while the remaining stretch required for the expansion belongs to the department.

Road widening hinges on DAE land

Senior Advocate Milind Sathe, appearing for the BMC, told the court that the civic body had cleared encroachments along the existing road, a drive that also involved cutting nearly 192 trees.

However, he said the additional land required for the widening project falls under the DAE, which controls the adjoining land around the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).

The BMC told the court it was ready to proceed with the road expansion if the department made the required land available. The High Court observed that the final decision on handing over the land now rests with the Department of Atomic Energy.