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Time of India
25-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
BMC auctions south Mumbai market plot for 13% less than Rs 428cr base price
Mumbai: BMC has issued a letter of acceptance (LOA) to AAV Developers LLP, which bid 13% less than the base value of Rs 428 crore, for a 8,116 sq m plot housing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Market near Crawford Market in south Mumbai for a 30-year lease period. Accepting the Rs 369-crore bid, BMC has asked AAV Developers to leave space for a staircase, lift and escalators for a foot over-bridge (FOB) that railways plan to build to connect the east-west of CSMT station and access to long-distance nodes from Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Mandai. According to the LOA, AAV Developers and Rail Land Development Authority (RLDA) will have to sign an agreement and make a pro-rata payment for the space allotted to them. RLDA will have to pay for the FOB landing space though the chief secretary had earlier instructed BMC to not charge any land cost. The civic body maintained that handing over space for free is not in consonance with the BMC Act. In Oct 2024, BMC decided to auction 3 of its plots in the island city, including the one at Crawford Market, for a 30-year lease period with a provision of renewal for another 30 years in a bid to generate revenue as its liabilities crossed Rs 2 lakh crore owing to its infrastructure projects. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai The decision to auction the Crawford Market plot, which houses a fish market and is also reserved for a municipal office and disaster management facilities, and to give LOA to a developer who bid below the base value has come under criticism. "This land has been reserved for a municipal office, municipal chowky, and for disaster management facilities," said former IPS officer-lawyer Y P Singh. "It is not possible to delete these reservations because they are public facilities created by due process of law. Further, the deletion requires public hearing and the outcome whether the reservations can be deleted or modified or not deleted, is still uncertain... It is also a settled position in law that the questions of 'Inter-Generational Equity', also have to be considered." Activist Santosh Daundkar said BMC should allot whatever land railways require and build a public parking lot in the remaining space and allow fisherfolk to continue their trade. "It is widely believed that the plot is being allotted due to pressure from the top," he claimed. But BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani cited the two previous attempts and the railways seeking the right of way for going ahead with the auction. This time, BMC received only two bids — Rs 369 crore from AAV Developers and Rs 330 crore from Saroj Landmark Realty. "There are issues with the plot including reservation, which state has to delete, and the shifting of the fish market. It is not conducive for commercial exploitation. We had no option but to go ahead by accepting the highest bid," said a BMC official. But another official said: "BMC could have cancelled the process or sought fresh bids."
News18
21-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
BMC Visits Shah Rukh Khan's Mannat After Complaints Over Rules Violation
Last Updated: However, when Shah Rukh Khan's manager was reached out to comment on the issue, she said, "There are no complaints. All work is going on as per guidelines." A team of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in Mumbai reached Shah Rukh Khan's Mannat on Friday, which is currently under renovation. Reportedly, a joint team of forest department and BMC officials inspected the Bollywood superstar's bungalow at Bandra Bandstand after a complaint which alleged that the renovation work is violating coastal regulation zone rules. A forest department official confirmed an inspection at Shah Rukh Khan 's residence and said, 'A team did carry out a site inspection as we received a complaint about renovation permissions. A report will be prepared based on the findings and submitted soon," as quoted by ETimes. The entertainment portal also claimed that the BMC's H-West ward building and factory department, and the building proposal department officials, were asked to accompany the forest team for the inspection. 'Our officials were accompanying the team, based on a request by the forest department. We had no other role," the official said. Another official, who was also present at the time of inspection, stated that the Mannat staff who were present there told them that they would submit all documents and permissions they had taken. However, when Shah Rukh Khan's manager was reached out to comment on the issue, she told ETimes, 'There are no complaints. All work is going on as per guidelines." Interestingly, all this comes a day after former IPS officer and lawyer Y P Singh alleged the layout of Mannat comprised one main heritage building called Villa Vienna as per the heritage regulations. 'The name of this building was changed to Mannat later. In 2005, an extension building of seven floors was made behind the heritage bungalow and since at that time Urban Land Ceiling Act was in force, a large apartment could not have been made. To overcome this legal hurdle, approval for 12 small independent flats was taken from the BMC by the owners namely Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan. However, once the approval was obtained all these 12 small flats, which were essentially meant for mass housing under the Urban Land Ceiling Act, were merged and a super luxury accommodation of a single family was constructed," Singh said. 'Without the help and connivance of the municipal officers this would never have happened. Even though the Urban Land Ceiling Act is no longer in force, actions taken during the time when the Act was in force have been saved. Therefore, it is legally compulsory for the owners of Mannat to restore those 12 independent small flats immediately so that the objective of mass housing could be accomplished and the eminent principles of rule of law are upheld," he added. Meanwhile, Shah Rukh Khan and his family are not living in Mannat as of now. Due to the renovation work, they have moved to a new building nearby. First Published:
