‘Illegal’ extension of Bandra eatery razed

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday demolished an ‘illegal’ extension at popular Bandra restaurant Indigo Deli. The restaurant owners, however, said they had done nothing wrong and the eatery would be back in action very soon.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Friday demolished an ‘illegal’ extension at popular Bandra restaurant Indigo Deli. The restaurant owners, however, said they had done nothing wrong and the eatery would be back in action very soon.

HT Image

Civic officials said they had to act against the restaurant as it had extended the structure illegally. Officials said the eatery had encroached upon the mandatory open space and had built a parapet, with around four tables on it. The eatery had also constructed a wall around these tables, which was also razed.

Sunil Dhamane, ward officer, H (West) ward told HT that a prior notice had been sent to the hotel to remove the encroachment and to clear the open space in front of the hotel. “They did not follow the notice and hence, we had to take action. We had to clear the open space,” he said. Dhamane, however, said he was unable to recollect the date on which the notice was sent.

Rahul and Malini Akerkar, the owners of Indigo Deli, however, denied having received any notice from the civic body, or that the restaurant had any illegal construction in the first place.

“We are rather surprised at the action taken by the BMC,” said Rahul and Malini Akerkar, in a statement. The statement said that Indigo Deli, Bandra, has existed on the premises since April 2012, and the structure itself has been unchanged since the building was erected about 15 years ago. “Rest assured we will back in business extremely soon,” the owners said.

In March, the BMC had demolished illegal extensions of four other restaurants in Bandra, following a court order.