CIDCO under fire for inaction against illegal temples on landslide-prone Belapur Hill | File Photo
Navi Mumbai: A committee by Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner has called for an immediate demolition as per the Supreme Court and High Court rulings. The development comes in wake of the administration observing that the city planner CIDCO has failed to act against several illegal religious structures, including the ones on the landslide-prone Belapur Hills.
“The Committee, mandated by the State government, met on March 11and put on record the fact that CIDCO has not taken any action against the temples on the Belapur hill despite the order Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) issued on August 28, 2024,” said NatConnect foundation director B N Kumar.
The Foundation, obtained a copy of the minutes of the meeting, expressed the hope that CIDCO will act now before it is too late as the monsoon is just less than three months away and the hill is prone to landslides due uprooting of several trees for non-stop construction. “We are not against any religious structures but they should be built in safe areas and not on landslide-prone hill slopes,” Kumar stressed.
The state government has through its order dated October 21,2025 mandated the civic commissioners in municipal corporation areas and the district collectors in rest of the places to classify illegal religious structures under three categories – for regularization or demolition or relocation – as per the court orders and act accordingly.
The Belapur Hill temples have been categorized for demolition, as per CIDCO’s own submission before the MSHRC informed the foundation. The State Urban Development Department too filed an affidavit on similar lines, NatConnect pointed out.
The Human Rights Commission had earlier taken suo moto notice of media reports reflecting the residents’ fears of landslides and summoned the state government, police, CIDCO and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
NatConnect Foundation and Save Belapur Hill Forum members have on February 13 called on the Municipal Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde and appealed to him for protecting the people and properties from possible landslides from the hill. Over 90 people were killed when the entire Irshalwadi village was wiped out in the landslide on July 19, 2023
The Municipal Commissioner level committee, presided over by Dr Shinde himself, has taken this apprehension into account and directed CIDCO to plan landslide prevention measures at the Belapur hill.
The Committee also directed CIDCO to file monthly action taken reports. Housing colonies below the hill have already been witnessing landslides which damaged the retaining walls. The ever increasing pressure on the hill could prove to be disastrous as the soil has become loose due to the uprooting of several trees, Kapil Kulkarni and Himanshu Katkar of Save Belapur Hill Forum said
