Maharashtra rolls back lockdown relaxation: Mumbai civic body says no to construction activities

As the state rolled back its decision to give relaxations during the lockdown owing to the increase in the number of people stepping out, the Brihanmumbai Municipal

As the state rolled back its decision to give relaxations during the lockdown owing to the increase in the number of people stepping out, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday said its order to permit pre-monsoon construction activities of private real estate projects, too, is withdrawn.

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Starting April 20, the state had allowed construction work, private courier services, home delivery by restaurants, farsan and sweet shops to remain open, with riders. Municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi, too, had on Sunday issued a circular stating construction of private projects can begin, provided workers are available at the site and they reside there through the construction phase. Earlier on Tuesday, the BMC issued 13-point guidelines, clarifying private developers can’t begin work on a new project and they have been allowed to carry out only urgent pre-monsoon work. However, the guidelines were withdrawn later in the day after the state announced that the restrictions up to April 17 have been imposed again.

Vinod Chithore, chief engineer of the BMC’s development plan department, said, “Our order of allowing pre-monsoon construction activities now stands withdrawn, as the state has rolled back the relaxations given in the lockdown period. We do not need to issue any new order on the withdrawal, after the state decision.”

The circular had stated that “work can resume at constructed or under-construction site, where works such as construction of retaining walls, or work of shore piling etc. to protect against landslide, waterproofing of terraces and such exposed areas, completion of basements and other sub-soil works had commenced prior to 14th March, 2020 and were required to be left as it is, due to commencement of lockdown”.

The BMC’s guidelines had also said all workers will have to be tested using rapid testing kits, once they arrive, and an isolation facility will have to be set up for workers who fall sick. The civic body is awaiting rapid testing kits from domestic and international vendors.

Harshul Savla, a developer in the island city, said, “The order was not practical or useful for all developers, considering only those who had labourers could start their work, whereas many developers do not have labour considering they have rushed back to their hometowns. Also, even if there was labour, the conditions put by the authorities to start work were exhaustive, and were not practically feasible.”