Pranav Birje | The News Bulletins
The ‘BJP OC Study Committee’ led by former MP Gopal Shetty has finally borne fruit. Acting on the committee’s recommendations in the interest of thousands of flat owners living in buildings without an Occupation Certificate (OC), the state government has approved the OC Amnesty Scheme. Welcoming this public-oriented decision, former MP Gopal Shetty has also written a letter to Cultural Affairs Minister and Suburban Guardian Minister Adv. Ashish Shelar.
In his letter, the public representative Gopal Shetty mentioned that after the case of Wellington Society in Tardeo reached the court (where the court ordered the evacuation of the building due to the lack of an OC), he became extremely concerned. Having earlier worked as a corporator in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and studied the issue of non-issuance of OCs in depth, he was well aware of its complexities.
He stated, “If that court order had been applied to all OC-deficient buildings, it would have created widespread chaos in Mumbai and caused unnecessary distress to citizens. Therefore, I had to take the initiative on this matter.”
Shetty further wrote, “Initially, many people questioned why Gopal Shetty was interfering in the matter of Mumbai’s high-rise buildings. However, MLA and Guardian Minister of Mumbai, Shri Mangalprabhat Lodha, personally requested me to look into the issue. Following this, I approached Mumbai BJP President Shri Amit Satam with a request to form a committee, which he immediately accepted and appointed me as its chairman.”
He continued, “Later, when I met you (Ashish Shelar), you promptly convened a joint meeting and instructed the Deputy Secretary of the Urban Development Department, Shri Asim Gupta, to take immediate action. Thanks to your leadership and the series of meetings held, this decision has been achieved in a short time. Your contribution to this successful outcome is significant, and I sincerely acknowledge it. On behalf of the citizens of Mumbai, I express heartfelt gratitude to you. I believe this decision will not remain limited to Mumbai alone but will eventually extend to the entire state of Maharashtra.”
Shetty also mentioned that among the four major issues he had worked on earlier, one was the rehabilitation matter in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, for which the court has also directed the government to take action. He expressed confidence that this issue, too, would soon be resolved.
The third crucial issue, he stated, is the extension of the 1962 Datum Line limit to 2011, a matter he had already requested Shelar to address. He noted that Shelar had also held a meeting with Asim Gupta and directed appropriate action on it.
Shetty appealed, “I request you to finalize this matter at the earliest. In cities like Mumbai, where slum areas exist on private land, residents face severe hardship when certain areas are not officially declared as slums and complainants approach the courts. Recently, in the case of Shukla Compound in Dahisar (East), a developer named Ashok Jain initiated demolition proceedings through the court after purchasing the land, citing the government law related to the 1962 Datum Line. This has created an atmosphere of fear among local residents. I have been following up on this matter continuously, and I earnestly urge you to take an immediate decision to extend the 1962 Datum Line limit to 2011. This will not cost the government even a single rupee and will bring immense relief to thousands of citizens.”