The Times of India  11.08.2010

BMC set to regularize Ramee's illegal club

MUMBAI: In a shocking development, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is all set to regularize the illegal nightclub (Rock Bottom) at Ramee Guestline in Juhu. It may be recalled the the civic body had, barely a month ago, served a notice on the Juhu hotel for illegally converting its basement into a nightclub.

The hotel had come under the BMC scanner last month after seven-year-old Aditya Dube died after falling from Ramee's sixth-floor restaurant-It's Mirchi-on July 4. Aditya had gone to the hotel along with his parents and their friends for dinner. By mistake, the boy stepped on an acrylic sheet (in photograph) that was covering a gap which had caved in. The sheet gave in and Aditya went down. He died during treatment at hospital. BMC officials found that not only was the hotel's' rooftop restaurant illegal, its nightclub, which is located in the basement, too was in violation of the norms.

According to civic officials, the hotel management, in its application submitted to the building proposal department, has claimed that it has 120 sq m of balance floor-space index (FSI), which makes it possible for the nightclub to be regularized.

"The application has been forwarded to the survey department for further verification. In all probability, it is likely to be approved as the club has balance FSI on the plot," said an official.

The BMC had given Ramee's management a month's time to restore the basement to its original use-a storeroom-or face action. The month-long deadline expired on August 9. But the hotel management had approached the BMC seeking permission for "change of use''.

After going through the documents, sources said there was balance FSI which would help the hotel regularize its nightclub. "The hotel's application requesting permission for change of use is pending with the building proposal department. As long as the application is being scrutinized, we can't take action," said a ward official.

Those found violating the notice under Rule 53 (1) Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act can be fined Rs 50,000 or sent to jail for three years. "We have requested officials of the building proposal department to speed up the process and tell us in two days whether the hotel's application has been accepted or rejected," said a senior civic official.

Sources in the BMC, however, said that the application has "all the chances" of being approved.

Officials said that a hotel could regularize its nightclub by paying a premium of 15% of the land rate and processing charges, provided it has balance FSI.

The BMC had razed the hotel's remaining illegal parts, including its sixth-floor restaurant `It's Mirchi'.