Illegal Construction and 'Map Deviation' Are Strangling Our Cities—And the Supreme Court Is Finally taking notice Imagine a fire raging in a high-rise apartment. The fire brigade arrives within minutes, only to be blocked by illegally parked cars and roadside encroachments. By the time they find a way in, it's too late. This is not a hypothetical disaster—it is a daily reality in cities across India. On a Wednesday night in Kandivali East, Mumbai, illegal parking delayed fire engines responding to a blaze, turning a manageable fire into a terrifying near-catastrophe for over 200 families. Illegal construction and land encroachment have become a systemic crisis, choking Indian cities to death. But a deeper, more insidious practice enables much of this chaos: "map divination"—the systematic manipulation of land records to legitimize unlawful buildings. As courts and authorities wage a war against this mushrooming growth, a recent series of rulings, including a drama...
