Up to society to demolish Adarsh: State

A day after the Union environment ministry ordered the demolition of the 31-storey Adarsh Society at Colaba, the Maharashtra government distanced itself from the order saying it was for the society and not the state.

A day after the Union environment ministry ordered the demolition of the 31-storey Adarsh Society at Colaba, the Maharashtra government distanced itself from the order saying it was for the society and not the state.

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The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) on Sunday ordered the demolition of the tower saying it violated coastal zone regulation norms.

"Once the MoEF specifically instructs us about Adarsh, we will look into the matter," chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said.

"So far, we have not been told anything. The MoEF notice was given to Adarsh society and not to us."

Adarsh was promoted as a project for war veterans and their families but ended up being
owned by senior defence personnel, bureaucrats and politicians.

"The environment department is looking into how the order will be implemented," chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad said.

The state is expecting the society to approach the Bombay high court for a stay on the order.

The state's urban development department will then ask the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) or the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMR-DA), to serve a notice to the society and, if necessary, demolish it.