Residents’ spy pix show how BMC was fooled
Warnings of residents of neighbouring building were ignored by BMC. Their pictures now force babus to institute probe.
Super-luxury Pedder Road building Urmi Aangan, which recently set the record for the highest rental in the city at Rs 17.5 lakh a month, is in trouble for merging car parks on each of its eleven floors with the living areas.
The residents of adjoining Triveni Sangam building, who had all along warned the BMC that the 4500 sq ft parking lots - big enough to accommodate six cars - would eventually be converted into living spaces, have secretly clicked pictures of the garagesturned-living rooms and sent the same to Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte.
Earlier this week, Kunte instituted an inquiry against Urmi Aangan and its developers Tejraj Gowani and his son Vinod Gowani based solely on the pictures submitted by the residents of Triveni Sangam. “I am looking into the case and will be able to comment in detail only after going through the papers,” he said on Wednesday.
The pictures shot by the residents of Triveni Sangam show areas earmarked as car parks in Urmi Aangan now lit with soft lights and the windows covered with thick curtains. Pictures also show these areas are well furnished, proving they have been integrated with the living spaces.
The Rs 17.5 lakh-a-month rental apartment on the 9th floor of the building is also among the apartments where the parking space has been merged with the living area. With original flat itself measuring 6,000 sq ft, the addition of the parking space has turned it into a 10,500 sq ft lavish spread. Real estate sources said its mind-boggling rental (a smaller, four-bedroom apartment on the seventh floor rents at Rs 8.5 lakh a month) was obviously decided based on the understanding that the 4,500 sq ft parking space could eventually be converted to living space.
Urmi Aangan was constructed on a plot where once the Hill Grange School stood. While the BMC gave permission for three buildings on the plot, only one -- Urmi Aangan - has come up so far. While sanctioning construction of the 11-storey Urmi Aangan, the BMC had allowed an equally high parking lot to come up abutting it. Residents of Triveni Sangam had opposed the parking lot at the construction stage itself, pointing out that the builder was providing extra living area in the garb of exclusive parking bays.
While the BMC ignored their complaints for two years, the evidence submitted by the residents now has forced it to institute an inquiry.
The other issue raised by Triveni Sangam was that the new building had no off-set area around it and that it encroached into their compound. This, they pointed out, left no space for fire engines or ambulances to enter in case of an emergency and also obstructed light and ventilation.
Member of Parliament Sawant said the BMC deliberately ignored the residents’ complaints and sided with the Gowanis. “The fact that the Gowanis got permission to construct a multistorey parking lot and covered it completely should have been enough for the BMC to figure that something was wrong and that they would eventually misuse the area given free of FSI. Now that the parking lots have been merged with living spaces, I have urged BMC to initiate immediate action,” he said.
Several attempts to contact the Gowanis, who occupy the top two floors of Urmi Aangan, were unsuccessful. Calls to their office and also text messages to Vinod Gowani’s personal phone went unanswered.
-- Inputs from Pandurang Mhaske
Super-luxury Pedder Road building Urmi Aangan, which recently set the record for the highest rental in the city at Rs 17.5 lakh a month, is in trouble for merging car parks on each of its eleven floors with the living areas.
The residents of adjoining Triveni Sangam building, who had all along warned the BMC that the 4500 sq ft parking lots - big enough to accommodate six cars - would eventually be converted into living spaces, have secretly clicked pictures of the garagesturned-living rooms and sent the same to Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte.
Triveni Sangam, which has also found support from local member of Parliament Arvind Sawant in its fight against the neighbour’s flagrant violation of development rules, has such illustrious names among its residents as filmmaker Shyam Benegal, theatre personality Dolly Thakore, and renowned cardiologist Dr Manoj Mashru.
Earlier this week, Kunte instituted an inquiry against Urmi Aangan and its developers Tejraj Gowani and his son Vinod Gowani based solely on the pictures submitted by the residents of Triveni Sangam. “I am looking into the case and will be able to comment in detail only after going through the papers,” he said on Wednesday.
The pictures shot by the residents of Triveni Sangam show areas earmarked as car parks in Urmi Aangan now lit with soft lights and the windows covered with thick curtains. Pictures also show these areas are well furnished, proving they have been integrated with the living spaces.
The Rs 17.5 lakh-a-month rental apartment on the 9th floor of the building is also among the apartments where the parking space has been merged with the living area. With original flat itself measuring 6,000 sq ft, the addition of the parking space has turned it into a 10,500 sq ft lavish spread. Real estate sources said its mind-boggling rental (a smaller, four-bedroom apartment on the seventh floor rents at Rs 8.5 lakh a month) was obviously decided based on the understanding that the 4,500 sq ft parking space could eventually be converted to living space.
Urmi Aangan was constructed on a plot where once the Hill Grange School stood. While the BMC gave permission for three buildings on the plot, only one -- Urmi Aangan - has come up so far. While sanctioning construction of the 11-storey Urmi Aangan, the BMC had allowed an equally high parking lot to come up abutting it. Residents of Triveni Sangam had opposed the parking lot at the construction stage itself, pointing out that the builder was providing extra living area in the garb of exclusive parking bays.
While the BMC ignored their complaints for two years, the evidence submitted by the residents now has forced it to institute an inquiry.
The other issue raised by Triveni Sangam was that the new building had no off-set area around it and that it encroached into their compound. This, they pointed out, left no space for fire engines or ambulances to enter in case of an emergency and also obstructed light and ventilation.
Member of Parliament Sawant said the BMC deliberately ignored the residents’ complaints and sided with the Gowanis. “The fact that the Gowanis got permission to construct a multistorey parking lot and covered it completely should have been enough for the BMC to figure that something was wrong and that they would eventually misuse the area given free of FSI. Now that the parking lots have been merged with living spaces, I have urged BMC to initiate immediate action,” he said.
Several attempts to contact the Gowanis, who occupy the top two floors of Urmi Aangan, were unsuccessful. Calls to their office and also text messages to Vinod Gowani’s personal phone went unanswered.
-- Inputs from Pandurang Mhaske
