India, Aug. 20 -- The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has identified 909 unauthorised buildings within its jurisdiction, demolished 175 of them and partially demolished 52 of them. Out of the 909 buildings, 740 of them were found in the Diva division, and 74 in the Kalwa-Mumbra division, the TMC told the Bombay high court on Monday.

The slew of demolitions comes in response to numerous petitions complaining about the rampant land grabbing and illegal constructions in Diva and Mumbra divisions of the civic body. In an affidavit, the deputy municipal commissioner Shankar Patole said that the corporation had also gotten 44 FIRs registered against builders involved in unauthorised constructions. As per the affidavit, the civic body cut off...