CRZ VIOLATIONS: SEVERAL BLDGS IN MUMBAI MAY GO ADARSH WAY

After the Centre called for action against 200 buildings in Navi Mumbai constructed without coastal- zone clearance, sources t old HT t hat several buildings in Mumbai, like the controversial 31-storey Adarsh tower, fall in the same category and could therefore also face action.

While there is no clear estimate on how many such buildings are there in the city, senior government officials said more than a hundred buildings will now be under the scanner.

In 2012, the state government had placed on record in an affidavit before the Adarsh commission, which stated that at least three other buildings were granted clearance without referral to the state coastal authority as mandated by law in 2002.

The affidavit by then urban development department (UDD) secretary Manukumar Srivastav stated that the department had, between 2002 and 2003, given noobjection certificates to three structures – Sardar Vallabhai Patel stadium in Worli, Ghelabhai mansion in Giragaon, and CR2 building at Nariman Point – without consulting the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA). The CR2 building houses a mall and government offices.

HT reported on Thursday that the Centre had ruled out any post facto clearance for the 200 Navi Mumbai buildings and had asked the MCZMA to take “appropriate and urgent action under law”.

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