The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) today asked Mumbai residents to register their complaint in a nearest police station if anyone refused to sell apartments to non-vegetarian households in the state. The decision came after the Improvements Committee raised its voice against builders, who refused to sell their flats to the people on the basis of their castes or eating habits.
According to a Times of India report, most of the newly-elected corporators, excluding Bharatiya Janata Party, also demanded stern action, such as cut off water and electricity connection, against builders. The BMC officials, however, didn’t accept their demands and said that the matter is related to law and order, and comes under state government’s purview.
The report suggest that BMC chief Ajoy Mehta claimed that the issue doesn’t come under BMC’s jurisdiction as these projects are on private land, the civic body’s role is limited only up to check their technical aspects and issue approvals as per the Development Control Rules 1991, Maharashtra Regional Towing Planning Act 1966 and BMC Act 1888.
Last year, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader and former corporator, Sandeep Deshpande, had urged the BMC to not to issue intimation of disapproval (IOD) and commencement certificate (CC), who refuse to sell flats to non-vegetarian eaters. He had also asked the BMC to not provide water connection to developers.
Notably, an IOD is an approval of a builders’ civil plans, the CC authorizes a developer /to undertake the construction.
