MUMBAI, Aug. 27 -- The Bombay High Court has expressed an urgent need for a comprehensive state-wide policy to deal with rampant unauthorised constructions across major cities in Maharashtra, after noticing that municipal corporations were finding it difficult to deal with the menace. A division bench of justices GS Kulkarni and Manjusha Deshpande said that the state's urban development department cannot remain a mute spectator when a large number of matters pertaining to illegal constructions are reaching the high court. The bench said,"To overcome the rampant illegalities in matters of development and construction within the jurisdiction of all the planning authorities in the state, the urban development department needs to step in by notifying a comprehensive and/or a robust policy." "In the absence of a drastic approach to curb unauthorised and illegal constructions, the future of fast-growing towns would be nothing but a colossal failure in achieving the ideals of lawful and appropriate town planning, resulting in chaos and disaster," the bench added. The court was hearing a petition filed by Thane resident Rahul Pawar regarding an illegal building in Vartak Nagar. The building was allegedly constructed without authorisation from the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), prompting the civic body to demolish it. The TMC informed the court that the demolition work started in February after disconnecting the water and electricity supply to the building. Initially, the walls of the third and fourth floors were demolished, later the slabs were also demolished. The remaining structure will soon be razed to the ground. The judges were, however, irked to note that this was not the first time an illegal building was constructed on the plot. An earlier illegal construction on the plot was demolished following a May 2009 high court order....