The Indian express 28.05.2013
BMC grants 3 more months to remove irregularities in Worli highrises
BMC has given top politicians, including ministers, three more month to correct irregularities in their flats/offices in the 14-storey Sukhada and 32-floor Shubhada buildings in upmarket Worli.
An earlier deadline set on April 4 and April 12 to remove the irregularities ended mid-May.
"We have given them a three-month extension. If they fail to meet the deadline, BMC will take stringent action," said municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte.
The politicians, including deputy CM Ajit Pawar, BJP leader Gopinath Munde, state Congress president Manikrao Thakre, Punjab governor Shivraj Patil Chakurkar, state forest minister Patangrao Kadam, are accused of making illegal alterations and conversions.
Meanwhile, many residents of the twin high-rises have approached BMC to regularise the structures after receiving notices.
"BMC is yet to take a decision on the matter," a senior civic official said.
The BMC notices issued last month under Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, after IPS officer-lawyer YP Singh and social activist Amit Maru raised the issue, target society members who converted convenience stores into offices and even gymnasiums. Most notices were for alterations on the ground floor of Shubhada.
Kadam received a notice for joining three shops in Sukhada into a gymnasium, while Ajit Pawar received two — one for converting two shops in Shubhada into a gymnasium and the other for converting a shop into an office.
Munde firm NV Distilleries received a notice for combining a shop and a basement room into an office.
His aide said, "We have received a three-month extension to regularise the structures and will ensure the irregularities are removed. In our case, the irregularities are minor. We are expecting BMC allows us to regularise the structure."
The buildings, which mostly house politicians, first attracted flak because the state government tweaked rules to allow additional floors.
Sukhada and Shubhada received additional FSI of an adjoining open plot to be developed into a garden, allowing expansion of built-up area by 30 per cent.
The state government de-reserved the open space despite BMC disapproval. It later come to light that the buildings in CRZ II zone also did not have mandatory environmental clearances.
