Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Dec 6: Maharashtra’s Minister for Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, delivered a sharp warning on Saturday against those enabling illegal immigration and encroachment, asserting that such activities pose a direct threat to Mumbai’s security.
Addressing a gathering in Malad-Malvani, Lodha declared that the state would not extend benefits meant for Indian citizens to illegal Rohingya or Bangladeshi immigrants, stressing that unchecked migration could allow dangers like the Ajmal Kasab episode or past Mumbai bomb blasts to re-emerge. He insisted that Mumbai’s safety cannot be compromised under any circumstances.
Calling illegal immigration the “biggest threat” facing the city, Lodha urged all communities to unite to prevent Maharashtra from “turning into another Bengal.” He maintained that there is no place in the state for unauthorised settlers and warned that the government will show zero tolerance toward encroachments on public land. Attempts to intimidate him over land-recovery operations, he said, would not deter him from fulfilling his responsibilities.
Lodha asserted that every official must be free to carry out their duties, adding that his own role is to manage government land transparently, clear encroachments, and ensure that reclaimed spaces benefit society. He emphasised that this issue is neither political nor religious but a matter of law and order. His goal, he said, is to free all government-owned land in Mumbai—not just areas in Malvani—from illegal occupation.
The minister was speaking after inaugurating the K.E.M. Citizen Health Training Centre, a hospital project in Malad-Malvani that had been stalled for years before being expedited under the current MahaYuti administration. He proposed naming the facility after Bharat Ratna Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in honour of Mahaparinirvan Diwas.
The upgraded centre, equipped with modern medical infrastructure, will now be able to treat nearly 400 patients at a time, significantly expanding healthcare access through support from the Union government.