CHANGE OF PLAN

MUMBAI: Malabar Hill, Girgaum, Nana Chowk, Pydhonie and Kalbadevi, which come under the C and D administrative wards (part of South Mumbai), saw the most alterations to the original plans of their buildings , a civic body survey revealed.

According to the survey conducted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) using the 360-degree Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology, there were 6,296 deviations from the original plans across buildings in the C and D ward. In the second phase , the BMC will scrutinise the changes to check if they were illegal. Last week, HT reported LIDAR had detected 33, 000 alterations to buildings across the city. Of these, 3, 644 changes were in C ward alone, whereas nearly 2, 652 alterations —the secondhighest — were in D ward .

The LIDAR project, which excludes slums, was announced in 2017, at a cost of ₹12 crore. The technology, coupled with videorecordings, measures the length, breadth and height of properties and roads on which they stand.

A civic official said, “Most deviations were changes in floors of buildings and balconies. There were changes in the height of buildings and to the open spaces.”

Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party leader from Byculla, which has several old buildings, said, “Changes made during repairs are of a minor nature. However, vertical changes are done with a nexus between developers, architects,

Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) and BMC officials.”

According to another official, there are nearly 4, 000 buildings in C ward, of which around 3, 000 buildings are maintained by the Mhada’s repair board. “Several

such buildings are under repair and most structural changes are carried out during these repairs. The survey cannot be considered as accurate, because of which the findings will be verified in the second phase of the survey.”

In the next phase, the respective

wards will issue notices to the building owners and verify the changes. The BMC will then impose property tax for the alterations accordingly. The civic body is expecting a jump in its revenue. Senior officials chose not to respond on this matter

despite repeated attempts.

Experts have placed the blame on BMC’S poor vigilance and an alleged nexus involving its own officials. Housing activist and advocate Vinod Sampat said, “There will be more illegalities found if every building is physically

surveyed. However, these alterations will continue since there is a whole nexus between civic officials and developers. Files of building plans have gone missing from the BMC office in the past , which clearly shows the civic body’s seriousness.”