New Delhi: The demolition of “illegal” portions of Union minister Narayan Rane’s Juhu home began Thursday, November 17, after the Supreme Court in September upheld the demolition orders issued by the Bombay high court.
An official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) told the Times of India that the demolition was being carried out by the building owners themselves, in compliance with a high court order for the demolition to be completed by December 25.
“We have to give a compliance report to the high court after demolition is complete,” the Times of India quoted the official as saying.
In June this year, Kaalkaa Real Estates Private Limited, a company owned by Rane’s family, had filed an application with the BMC seeking the regularisation of the unauthorised constructions around his residence.
When this application was rejected, the company filed a second regularisation application in July, reportedly seeking the regularisation of a smaller portion of the construction.
When the case came before the Bombay high court in September, the BMC submitted that it was willing to hear the second regularisation application for the minister’s Juhu bungalow. This, however, drew heavy criticism from the court, which slammed the municipal corporation for doing a “u-turn” on its stand vis-a-vis its rejection of the first application.
Also read: ‘Demolish Unauthorised Construction At Narayan Rane’s House Within 2 Weeks’: Bombay HC
“The stand taken by the municipal corporation in our view is totally illegal, untenable, contrary to the provisions of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, DCPR 2034 and the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act,” the high court’s judgment said.
“If the regularisation application is allowed to be heard which the BMC is bent upon allowing, then it would lead to encouragement of wholesale construction of unauthorised structures,” it added.
As such, the high court directed the BMC to demolish the unauthorised portions of Rane’s bungalow within two weeks of the September 20 judgment, for violating Floor Space Index and Coastal Regulation Zone rules.
The floor space index (FSI) is the maximum permissible floor area that can be built on a particular plot or/piece of land.
Rane, through Kaalkaa Real Estates, subsequently challenged the Bombay high court’s order in the Supreme Court. However, the top court, in its September 26 order, refused to entertain the petition and ordered the petitioner themselves to complete the demolition of the unauthorised construction within a period of two months.
(With PTI inputs)