Rane now has three weeks to approach the appropriate authority(File) The BMC has rejected Union Minister Narayan Rane’s application seeking regularisation of alleged unauthorised construction and illegal alterations made in his eight-storey sea facing bungalow ‘Adhish’ on Juhu Tara Road.
The corporation, while listing 15 reasons for rejecting Rane’s application, has given him 15 days to submit relevant documents.
According to a letter sent to Rane by BMC’s building proposal department on April 7, the proposal submitted by the minister’s architect, Kisan Gangaram Meka, has been rejected citing reasons like non-availability of floor space index (FSI) for regularisation or retention of work, no mention of regularisation of work under Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ)-II, absence of no-objection certificates from the fire brigade and the property tax department as well as non-submission of title clearance certificate.
The BMC letter added that there are also discrepancies in plans submitted by the architect. It said that the occupation certificate plan had approved recreation areas on the first and second floor and entire refuge floor as free of FSI. “However, due to additional work making the said floors habitable, now the free FSI area on these floors will not be allowed as per provision of DCPR 2034,” the letter stated. It added, “If the above compliances are not submitted in 15 days from the date hereof, then the proposal will be deemed to be considered as recorded (closed) which please be noted.”
On March 22, the Bombay High Court had restrained the BMC from action against Rane’s bungalow and directed it to decide on his regularisation application.
Earlier, the BMC’s K West (Andheri) ward had sent a notice to Rane’s bungalow on March 4, stating that there is unauthorised construction in the basement – room has been converted – along with converting open space or garden areas into bedrooms, rooms and halls from the first to the eight floor. The BMC action came after an RTI plea was filed by activist Santosh Daundkar against “illegalities” in Rane’s bungalow.
Following the notice, Rane’s advocate had called the BMC action “political vendetta” since the minister and his son Nitesh had been critical of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Y P Singh, counsel of Daundkar, said, “While the BMC action is welcome, the fact remains that while CRZ clearance for this building is only 11 m, 32 m has been constructed. Being in CRZ, a part of this building will have to be demolished so that the height comes down to 11 m. Further, the BMC is completely silent on an illegal hotel that has been built in the same plot by illegally changing the layout and by consuming the recreation garden.”
Rane now has three weeks to approach the appropriate authority. The Bombay High Court on March 22 had said that no coercive action will be taken for three weeks against Rane by the BMC after it decides on his regularisation application.
Accusing the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of indulging in politics of vendetta, Rane said, “In Mumbai, 90 per cent of the constructions are illegal. Behrampada in Bandra, which is near Matoshree (home of Uddhav Thackeray), is known for three to five floors of illegal slums. I acquired all permission and occupation certificate before occupying my house and even then the BMC and the CM focused only on my house. This is not legal action, it is just politics of revenge.”
“They can see my house and have guts to take action but not against loudspeakers,” he added while referring to loudspeakers being played outside mosques.
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