Mumbai: Tiny street side "shrines" that have sprung up illegally on this city's already crowded sidewalks have their days numbered as Govind Ragho Khairnar, Mumbai's best known municipal official, is soon to resume demolition of such structures.

Khairnar, an officer on special duty with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), has been given charge of the demolition drive that is part of an old Maharashtra government urban development plan to raze all shrines that have come up without authorization.

Local newspapers quote state government officials as saying that there are a total of 827 illegal shrines on Mumbai's streets. Of these 758 are Hindu, 20 Muslim, 44 Christian and five Buddhist. Most of these structures have been built on sidewalks by local gang leaders, especially in and around slums, in this city of 13 million people.

"Hundreds of shrines have come up since 1985, when demolition was banned," said Khairnar. The demolition of illegal shrines is a sensitive issue. Municipal officials have been very careful in this matter and only a few such structures have been razed, that too with extreme caution. "It is only when a road needs to be widened or there is opposition from groups of people that we swiftly demolish the structures," said a municipal official.

According to the police, these "shrines" become a useful means for gangs to extort money from locals by claiming they are organizing prayers or special celebrations.

The demolition drive is expected to begin after the end of the monsoon session of the state Assembly. The Democratic Front government fears that legislators from Mumbai, some of whom are allegedly close to slumlords, could stall the drive.

Khairnar himself feels that "anti-social elements" could create trouble in the first few days of the demolition operations. However, he expects things to settle down after the first few weeks.

Incidentally, "Demolition Man" Khairnar has been confined to his office for the past two months after his demolition of an illegally constructed mosque triggered clashes in Malvani in north Mumbai. One person died and 14 were injured when police opened fire on a mob protesting the demolition.

Khairnar hit the headlines more than five years ago after he was suspended as deputy municipal commissioner for carrying out a campaign against former chief minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar. He was reinstated in service late last year.