‘Chavan must stop Churchgate high-rise’

The opposition to Vasant Sagar, a high-rise coming up near Churchgate, continues, with the Federation of Churchgate Residents (FCR) writing to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan asking for his intervention.

The opposition to Vasant Sagar, a high-rise coming up near Churchgate, continues, with the Federation of Churchgate Residents (FCR) writing to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan asking for his intervention.

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Residents had gathered, through a series of Right to Information (RTI) applications, that there are 41 violations of the Development Control Rules and Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) norms as the building falls in the CRZ –II area and violations of heritage norms as the entire area is a heritage precinct.

“We have written to the chief minister telling him if construction of this building continues it would mean doom for the Marine Drive precinct, which has the second largest art deco buildings in the world after Miami,” said president of FCR.

The building currently has permission to construct a six storeys. The had later sent an amended proposal to the BMC for a 14-storeyed building which will be of the same height as the adjacent Ambassador hotel.

The four-page letter states that the developer is building beyond the BMC’s approved plans and that the BMC seems to be overlooking the violations.

HT on January 9 had reported that the after finding several irregularities in the project, the residents had served legal notices to the BMC, following which the BMC had served a stop-work notice to the building.