'We Want To See Deeds, Not Letters': Bombay HC Pulls Up Collector Over Charkop Lake Encroachments
Mumbai, August 11, 2026: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Mumbai suburban collector for failing to act against encroachments around a natural lake at Charkop in Kandivali (West), questioning what the administration had done in the 21 days since its directions to clear the area. "What did you do for 21 days? You have only issued letters," a bench of Acting Chief Justice…
On August 11, 2026, the Bombay High Court strongly criticized the Mumbai suburban collector for failing to take action against encroachments around Charkop Lake in Kandivali (West). The court questioned what the administration had done in the 21 days since issuing letters to clear the area, emphasizing that it was seeking concrete actions, not correspondence.
The bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad stated that they were not interested in letters between officials, but wanted to see deeds. The court expressed disappointment with the collector's office for only issuing letters to additional collectors, tehsildars, and city survey officers. The court praised the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for cleaning the lake, noting an "amazing improvement," but criticized the collector's office for not moving beyond issuing letters.
The bench questioned the delay in implementing its July 21 order and threatened to transfer the collector and appoint a more efficient officer if the directions were not followed. The collector was ordered to appear before the court on August 14 to explain the steps taken to comply with the earlier order.
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