‘Our Habit Is To Rob Our Own Motherland’: Bombay HC Defends BMC Over Mumbai Waterlogging
‘Our Habit Is To Rob Our Own Motherland’: Bombay HC Defends BMC Over Mumbai Waterlogging Published By, Last Updated: July 07, 2026, 20:16 IST The
‘Our Habit Is To Rob Our Own Motherland’: Bombay HC Defends BMC Over Mumbai Waterlogging Published By, Last Updated: July 07, 2026, 20:16 IST The Bombay HC emphasised that the BMC cannot realistically maintain a functional city when infrastructure is immediately choked by illegal structures. At least 10 people were killed in rain-related incidents in Mumbai this monsoon. As Mumbaikars continue to wade through heavily waterlogged streets this monsoon, the Bombay High Court said that citizens cannot blame the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for a crisis primarily of their own making. A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad noted that illegal encroachments, choked drainage networks, and the blatant misuse of public infrastructure are the real culprits behind the city’s annual monsoon paralysis.
“We should stop blaming the corporation," Acting CJ Ghuge remarked, adding sharply that Mumbaikars are “destined" to see rainwater on the roads because of a widespread habit of land grabbing. “Our Habit is to Rob Our Own Motherland" The high court’s scathing observations came during a hearing on a plea filed by the BMC itself, which sought permission to widen a critical road in Mandala village along the bottlenecked Sion-Trombay stretch. According to a report by The Indian Express, Justice Ghuge said, “We have an uncanny knack for grabbing lands. We put all the dirt and material inside that, we block the gutters. The corporation gave us drainage lines—we filled up the drainage lines. They put pavement blocks—we started parking our cars on them. The corporation gave us footpaths—we started having pav bhaji, pav masala, and sabudana vada stalls on them." The bench emphasised that the civic body cannot realistically maintain a functional city when infrastructure is immediately choked by illegal structures and garbage disposal.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an ‘orange’ alert, warning of intermittent showers with heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated spots, along with gusty winds reaching 60–70 kmph on Tuesday. All government, private and civic-run schools and colleges in Mumbai remained closed on Tuesday as a precautionary measure, officials said. Heavy showers brought Mumbai and neighbouring districts to a near standstill on Monday. Many roads were submerged, trees were uprooted, and several incidents of wall and billboard collapses were reported. The weather forecaster predicted moderate rain in the city till July 11. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit About the Author Saurabh Verma Senior Sub-editor Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Chief Sub-editor.
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