Mumbai:
For the BMC's massive demolition drive of 4,000-odd illegal structures in Andheri announced two days ago, their choice of the man for the job couldn't be more appropriate.
Mahadeo Shinde, currently assistant engineer of BMC's Building and Factory department at the K-West ward, knows well how to tread the tightrope of all that his job encompasses.
Shinde has been flattening illegal structures for the past 10 years. "I have to work as per law. The structures which are illegal have to be demolished to ensure there are no violations," he says.
Working with the civic body for two decades, the latter one of which was spent overseeing demolition work at several spots in the city, Shinde has worked in four different ward offices.
His job profile has earned him the dubious honour of being the 'new demolition man' in the city, after he took the mantle from VN Kalam Patil, and before him, GR Khairnar (see box).
Given the less than amicable nature of his job, Shinde says he hasn't received any threats so far from the parties affected by his work, and even if that were the case, it wouldn't shake his resolve.
In this politically driven city, he says, "There are political pressures but our job is to follow the law and I do just that. Besides, whenever we go for a demolition, our entire team goes together.
Even the assistant municipal commissioner doesn't really require police protection, and he visits every site," he said.
Shinde doesn't discuss his work with his family as it might scare them.
"I cannot afford to scare them every day." Back in 1998, he was present during the demolition drive at Malvani in Malad, where the BMC brought down around 13,000 structures.
He has demolished structures at Juhu, Versova, Dharavi, Behram Baug and Malad East among others during his tenure at G-North, P-North, K-West and R-North wards in the city.
He recalled an incident at Gazdhar Band area in Khar where a lot of illegal structures mostly slums that were inhibiting the flow of rainwater, causing the area to flood had to be demolished.
The inhabitants affected weren't very pleased. "There was stone pelting from the crowd. But we had to tackle it.
Now, the creek there has three branches giving the water an outlet and putting an end to the flooding," he recalls.
His current assignment, Andheri's Sardar Vallabhai Patel Nagar, underway a massive demolition since Wednesday, requires him to knock down the illegal mezzanine and first floors of residential structures that were not allowed to build beyond ground floors.
Shinde says, "Out of 98 housing societies, around 34 have signed up redevelopment contracts and they will not be demolished.
Some others are in the process of applying for a stay or on the verge of signing deals with developers.
As soon as they show us the necessary papers from redevelopers, we will stop the demolition. As it is, we are only tearing down structures that have not gone for redevelopment."
Delays and stalling are part of his job. "On the first day of the drive, we razed only one society.
At this pace, it will be difficult to meet the deadline of January 15, 2011," he said. But Shinde is intent on seeing the job through.
The BMC started the demolition of the illegally-constructed sections of 30 residential units in the MHADA society at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Nagar in Andheri (W) on Tuesday. The single storey structures were built for housing the lower income group but residents had constructed up to two floors.
Before Shinde, the onus of demolition was on V N Kalam Patil (50), the municipal officer who headed the demolition effort five years back as Deputy Municipal Commissioner (Encroachments).
Patil had succeeded Govind Rao Khairnar, former deputy commissioner of BMC, known as Mumbai's 'one-man demolition army'. Responsible for pulling down a number of illegal constructions in the city between 1997 and 2002, his activities often brought him in confrontation with the city mafia.
Said Shinde about Khairnar, "I am nothing in front of that man. The work that he carried out was commendable."