Juhu building’s illegal pillars can’t be razed, says BMC

While the civic body has started demolishing illegal flat extensions in the 50-year-old Vandana building in Juhu, it has said it cannot act against the violation in the construction of the building’s pillars.

While the civic body has started demolishing illegal flat extensions in the 50-year-old Vandana building in Juhu, it has said it cannot act against the violation in the construction of the building’s pillars.

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The external pillars, constructed prior to 2000 in order to support the four floors that were added to the ground-plustwo structure, are built at different sites as compared to the plan that was approved by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Vishwas Shankarwar, assistant municipal commissioner, Kwest ward, said: “We will complete the demolition of extensions, but the beams cannot be demolished as it would mean that the floors will have to be razed.”

The site inspection report prepared in April by officials from the civic building proposals department referred to the variation in the location of pillars at the plinth level and remarked that this change should have been noted while granting the occupation certificate (OC) in 2000.

The report has also stated that there is no remedy to this.

Foram Chauhan, the complainant, argues that it’s the BMC that has neglected to do its job. “In May 2011, I sent the first letter to the BMC about illegal constructions, but it acknowledged the complaint only in December 2011.

It has been more than two years now, but no decisive demolition action has been taken,” said Chauhan.

Chauhan, who has also filed a petition in Bombay high court, said many flats on the ground and first floors have developed cracks owing to illegal construction activities on the higher floors.

“We have sought a meeting with the municipal commissioner on July 1 and hope to bring these issues to his notice,” Chauhan said.