Pranav Birje | Senior Correspondent
Former North Mumbai MP Gopal Shetty has written a letter to Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, drawing attention to the long-standing legal matter in the Mumbai High Court and the Supreme Court regarding the construction of the 17th to 34th floors of the much-discussed Wellington Building in Tardeo and the related Fire Department NOC.
In the letter, he mentioned that keeping in mind the sentiments, fear, and mental stress of the residents of the Wellington building, he has been consistently working towards resolving this issue. He has been coordinating with senior officials of the fire department, leaders from his political party, and Guardian Minister Mr. Mangal Prabhat Lodha. The residents, with the help of an architect, have been completing all the necessary procedures to regularize the building and to obtain the fire department’s No Objection Certificate. As per court orders, they have already deposited ₹16 lakhs with the BMC and have also submitted written compliance with all conditions set by the fire department.
Additionally, the Building Proposal Department has inspected the construction and prepared a report for regularizing the Fungible Area and FSI. A proposal has also been submitted to regularize the construction under current regulations by paying the additional charges as per the earlier laws. Despite fulfilling all these technical requirements, a positive verdict from the court is still pending. Hence, your active leadership is now crucial to resolving this matter at the earliest. In my view, even the court would expect that the residents should not suffer any harm or danger to their lives. The court’s displeasure might be due to the residents not receiving the Fire NOC and Occupation Certificate for years.
Public representative Shetty further wrote that he personally visited the Wellington building as per the instructions of Mr. Mangal Prabhat Lodha and assessed the entire situation. After the visit, he immediately contacted Mumbai BJP President Mr. Ashish Shelar and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Devendra Fadnavis, who was on a tour of Jalgaon. The Chief Minister advised an immediate meeting, which was arranged accordingly. You too had a detailed discussion on the seriousness of the matter.
He has now requested that within the next eight days, a detailed report from the concerned departments should be obtained and final approval be granted. Otherwise, not only the residents of this building but people living in many such buildings across Mumbai may face fear and uncertainty in their lives.
Mr. Shetty further mentioned that even today, hundreds of buildings in Mumbai stand without an Occupation Certificate. According to the current BMC policy, rules and guidelines have been established for such buildings to obtain an OC. Under this policy, a charge of ₹50 per square meter of carpet area and a minimum fee of ₹500 per flat has been fixed. In this context, a positive decision in the Wellington case will also set a precedent for similar matters, he firmly believes.
In conclusion, Mr. Shetty wrote that as a responsible political worker, if the administration fails to resolve this matter in time, they will have no choice but to take to the streets in the public interest, which could also lead to unnecessary damage to the reputation of the municipal corporation. He urged the commissioner to consider the entire issue seriously and take a prompt decision.