The inquiry report has to be submitted within four weeks and it will also suggest measures to prevent such "wrongdoing" in the future, Chahal said in the letter. (File Photo)The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the legality of 49 film studios at Madh, Marve, Erangal, Bhati, and Malad that came up between 2021 and 2022 in the No-Development Zone (NDZ) and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ), following complaints received by the administration that these studios were built without proper permissions but with the help of BMC and Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) officials.
Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, in a written order on Tuesday, appointed Deputy Municipal Commissioner Harshad Kale as the inquiry officer to look into the alleged illegalities and submit a report within four weeks. Chahal directed Kale to look into aspects specifying the role of civic officials in the process.
In his directive to conduct the inquiry, Chahal said, “It has been brought to the notice of authorities through complaints that 49 such studios came up during the period of 2021 and 2022 in NDZ and CRZ areas. It is alleged that thousands of square metres of such studios are built without proper permissions, with fraudulent documents/forged permissions with the help of officials of BMC and MCZMA.”
Chahal has named the assistant commissioner of the P/North ward corresponding to the area of Malad, the assistant engineer of the P/North ward, and other ward officials, and directed Kale to look into their role. The inquiry will look into how many permissions were given, how many studious are functioning at present, whether permissions were given for temporary film shooting, and if sets were constructed on the basis of these permissions, what type of permissions were given by the MCZMA, and if “BMC officers in connivance with studio owners misused temporary permissions”.
The inquiry report has to be submitted within four weeks and it will also suggest measures to prevent such “wrongdoing” in the future, Chahal said in the letter.
This comes days after Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, during a session of Maharashtra legislature on August 24, announced a special audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General about “irregularities” in BMC. An inquiry was also announced into illegal studios at Madh.