Mumbai: BMC sends fresh notice to Rane, asks him to remove ‘illegal construction’ in Juhu bungalow

The new notice came after the corporation rejected Rane’s application to allow retention of the alleged illegal construction under the provision of Section 44 of Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MR&TP) Act, 1966. Under Section 44 for any development, an application needs to be submitted before the planning authority.

Countering Rane’s claims, the BMC officials said that the application made by Rane proves that there is illegal construction in the structure.

The fresh order from the Executive Engineer (Designated Officer) of the Building and Factory department of K-west ward (Andheri) was issued on March 16. Officials said that after an earlier order issued on March 14, advocate Hasmit Trivedi and another person, Kiran S Bait on behalf of Rane, made another application before the BMC during a personal hearing, contending that there is no illegality and change of use in his eight-storey bungalow.

The notice issued to Rane stated that an unauthorised construction had taken place in the basement of the bungalow by converting a portion into a room. Besides, open space or a garden area from the first floor to the eighth floor had been illegally converted into bedrooms, rooms and hall, the civic body alleged.

Before this, on March 11, both Trivedi and Bait had denied all allegations and called the BMC action a ‘political vendetta’ since Narayan Rane and his son Nitesh Rane had been critical of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

Replying to both representations (March 11 and March 14), the BMC has justified its action and said that Rane failed to submit a document to prove the legality of the structure. The fresh notice has asked the Union minister to demolish the illegal portions within 15 days or the BMC will initiate demolition.

“You are hereby, directed to remove the said unauthorized works as mentioned in the above-referred notice within 15 days from the date hereof failing which, the unauthorised works mentioned in the notice will be demolished departmentally at your risk and the cost and the charges of the demolition will be recovered from you through assessment department,” stated the new order issued on March 16 in the name of Nilesh (son) and Neelam Rane (wife).

Previously, Rane also mentioned that bringing out various details and information of the death of Sushant Singh Rajput and Dish Salian had irked CM Uddhav Thackeray and his partymen. “We… have been vocal critics of Uddhav Thackeray and the manner in which the Shiv Sena has been functioning not only in the state government but also in the corporation,” Rane had said in his reply.

Right to Information (RTI) activist Santosh Daundkar, who had complained against the alleged illegalities in Rane’s bungalow, said that he will send a legal notice to the BMC on Monday.

“There was no need to issue a fresh notice to Rane’s as the earlier notice was very clear. The BMC is giving Rane an opportunity to regularise the structures and its notice do not talk about FSI and CRZ violations. I will send a notice to the civic body with help of my legal counsel Y P Singh,” said Daundkar.

Advocate Y P Singh said that BMC must demolish the entire bungalow as it was constructed on a garden plot. “The BMC is missing the essential point. A layout was approved with a garden in the year 1978 by the municipal commissioner. This layout was illegally altered to make way for a hotel and the bungalow of Narayan Rane and in the consequence, the compulsory garden space was removed. This was done without getting a fresh layout approved by the municipal commissioner. Till the time the garden issue is resolved, such frivolous orders would be meaningless,” said Singh.