MTDC office at Nariman Point illegal, demolish it, says HC

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has held that the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation’s (MTDC) office at Nariman Point is illegal as it was built on a plot reserved for a recreational ground and asked for its demolition. The court gave the MTDC four weeks to vacate the office and relocate, saying the illegal structure must be demolished soon.

The court also pulled up the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for not complying with the court’s earlier order to demolish the illegal structures.

Responding to the court’s criticism against the civic body, BMC lawyer Trupti Puranik told the court that the civic corporation had served MTDC demolition notice on a couple of occasions but they had sought time for shifting their premises. The MTDC illegally built its office at Nariman Point, to which a south Mumbai-based resident association objected. While seeking time, the MTDC said that it was given three relocation options by the state, and it was going to decide upon it soon. The MTDC had earlier asked time till October 2017 to relocate.

A division bench of Justice V.M. Kanade and P.R. Bora was hearing a petition filed by Nariman Point Churchgate Citizens Welfare Trust, wherein they had alleged that the MTDC and several political parties had encroached upon a plot reserved as recreational ground at Nariman Point. They further alleged that despite the high court ordering demolition of the structures the authorities were doing nothing about it. The residents had informed the court that while one of the political parties (the Bharatiya Janata Party) on the premises had reduced its structure, the MTDC was yet to comply.

While replying to the complaint, the advocate for the MTDC informed the court that it had been in the process of identifying a new place to build a Tourist Bhavan and relocate its current office there. The counsel informed the court that the state had identified three spots and they needed time up to October 2017 to finalise a location and shift there.  The court, however, rejected their request and said the MTDC would get only four week’s time to carry out the removal of its office from the ground, to which the MTDC accepted.