MUMBAI, Feb. 28 -- In a move that could have far-reaching implications for thousands of families living in transit camps across Mumbai, the opposition in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday demanded a comprehensive audit of all approvals granted for transit camps on lands reserved for civic infrastructure. The demand was raised during the first meeting of the Improvements Committee in four years, a politically charged session that saw corporators scrutinise key decisions taken during the period when the elected body was suspended and the civic administration was run by an appointed administrator. At the heart of the controversy is a 27,043 sq metre plot at Jijabai Nagar in Worli, reserved in the Development Plan for sewerage infrastructure, including a proposed sewage treatment plant (STP). Congress group leader Ashraf Azmi alleged that the BMC inexplicably staked claim over only 17,756 sq metres of the plot, effectively relinquishing control over nearly 10,000 sq metres- land that is now occupied by transit camps built by private developers. "The BMC is merely a custodian of public land. It cannot simply give away its claim to a large parcel reserved for critical sewage facilities," Azmi said, calling the move a "criminal dereliction of duty" that endangered public interest. He further pointed to objections raised earlier by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which had warned that construction on the site could exacerbate flooding risks. Major sewer lines pass beneath the plot and connect to the Lovegrove Sewerage Pumping Station- a key node in Mumbai's drainage network. Any damage to these lines, especially during the monsoon, could trigger severe flooding in parts of Worli and surrounding areas, Azmi cautioned. The controversy has now reached a legal turning point. The Bombay High Court has ordered the clearance of the transit camps on the disputed plot and directed that the land be handed back to the BMC, reinforcing its original reservation for sewerage infrastructure. For thousands of residents currently housed in transit accommodation across the city -often in cramped and vulnerable conditions. The case has raised troubling questions about the legality and safety of such structures, particularly those erected on reserved civic lands. The opposition widened its attack, citing what it described as a pattern of lax oversight during the administrator's tenure. Sachin Padwal of the Shiv Sena (UBT) questioned how a high-rise building in Colaba was allegedly permitted to exceed sanctioned limits without obtaining a mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) from naval authorities, despite the plot belonging to the BMC....