Mumbai: The Bombay High Court directed the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today to inspect the heritage Esplanade building in South Mumbai and submit a report on whether it can be repaired. A bench of Justices Ranjit More and Anuja Prabhudessai also directed the TAC to submit its inspection report to the court by August 1 this year.
A portion of the facade of the building had collapsed earlier this month. The building that houses several small shops and offices of lawyers from the HC and the city civil and sessions court, has been in a dilapidated condition for years now. In 2015, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) had served eviction notices to all the tenants in the building. However, the tenants, led by advocate Ashok Sarogi who has an office in the building, had secured a stay from the HC on the notice after they told the court that they would continue occupying the building at “their own risk”.