‘Pay fine or shut down clinics, nursing homes’

The civic body has sent notices to owners of 756 nursing homes and clinics operating from residential buildings without a separate entrance or staircase. HT reports.

The civic body has sent notices to owners of 756 nursing homes and clinics operating from residential buildings without a separate entrance or staircase.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has set March 25 deadline to regularise such nursing homes and clinics. If the owners or operators of these nursing homes and clinics fail to get their structures certificate as commercial premises, these places will be forced to shut shop as their licenses would not be renewed.

The BMC’s building proposal department has issued notices to clinics and nursing homes saying it would regularise them by changing the user as per the amended law, but will charge a penalty of Rs425 for every sqm of the built-up area, including other charges.

Nursing homes and clinic operators are upset with the BMC for levying hefty penalty — from Rs2 lakh to Rs18 lakh. Clinic operators and owners are irked for the BMC is calculating the penalty on the built-up area and not the carpet area.

The owners of nursing homes and clinics are also not pleased as they would be liable to pay more property tax once their structures are marked as commercial.

The BMC is expecting to generate additional revenue of Rs6 crore from this regularisation move.

“If owners and operators want their clinics and nursing homes to be regularised, they have time till March 25. After the stipulated period, their license will not be renewed,” said Manisha Mhaiskar, additional municipal commissioner (health).

Dr Suhas Kate, general secretary of the nursing home association said, “The penalty amount is hefty and we have asked the civic body to reconsider it.”