BMC demolish unauthorised structures of Juhu bar which served alcohol to Mihir Shah

BMC razes unauthorised constructions at Vice Global Tapas Bar in Mumbai where Mihir Shah partied before hit-and-run incident. Bar sealed for illegalities.

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday razed all unauthorised constructions on the ground floor and terrace of the Vice-Global Tapas Bar at Juhu Tara Road, where Mihir Shah partied with his friends before he allegedly mowed down a 45-year-old woman at Annie Besant Road, Worli, in the early hours on Sunday.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday demolished all unauthorised constructions on the ground floor and terrace of the Vice-Global Tapas Bar at Juhu Tara Road . (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

The unauthorised structure was built on approximately 3,500 sqft, including the 1,500 sqft of the ground floor and the 2,000 sqft of the terrace, which were converted into a structure and covered by an iron shed. Accordingly, BMC’s encroachment removal team hammered the kitchen and ground floor and elevated unauthorised construction on the enclosed roof.

On Tuesday, the excise department sealed the bar on three grounds – for serving liquor without any valid license to serve hard drinks like whiskey to people below 25 years of age and for carrying out illegal constructions in the bar.

This is also the second time the bar has faced the BMC’s bulldozer, as the same notice was served under section 351 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act in 2022 for the same illegalities.

Chakrapani Alle, assistant commissioner from K west ward, said, “We had already issued notices, conducted an inspection and passed the demolition order much before the hit-and-run incident. We are doing the compliance already of the notices issued earlier.”

A civic official from K west ward told HT, “In 2022, BMC had issued a notice for covering the terrace and wide-open spaces. But now, during monsoon, they again indulged in violations and covered them. This bar is legal but it is allowed only on the ground floor. The extensions were illegal.”

This action was taken with the help of resources like five engineers, two officers, 20 workers and 1 JCB plant, electric breakers, and gas cutters of the BMC. Adequate police force was deployed. Officials of the state excise department were also present during this operation. Vice Global Tapas Bar’s phone was switched off when HT contacted them.