Mumbai, Sep 15 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Thursday summoned the Mumbai suburban district collector to court on September 19 over the demolition of a crematorium in Erangal beach in suburban Malad without giving a hearing to the fisherfolk who had built it.

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A division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Madhav Jamdar was hearing a petition filed by one Chetan Vyas raising concerns over unauthorized construction of a Hindu crematorium on the beach by the fishing community.

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The PIL claimed the construction was in violation of Coastal Regulation Zones (CRZ) rules.

In 2021, the HC had directed for a joint inspection to be carried out there by the concerned officials from Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), the district collectorate and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The team concluded the crematorium was built illegally and without requisite permission. In a report, the team further claimed the construction was being carried out by two fishing communities. Based on the report, the collector's office demolished the structure.

On Thursday, the court sought to know if the community that constructed the said structure was heard or given an opportunity to put forth their case before demolition.

When the court was informed that no hearing was held, the bench questioned if this was how the collector's office was functioning.

"In some cases, the collector sits and blatantly ignores violations but then in cases like this prompt action is taken without following due process of law," CJ Datta said.

The bench directed the Mumbai Suburban District Collector to remain present in court on September 19 when the matter would be heard again.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)