S-ward officials say most of these shops don't have permissions and have carried out illegal extensions onto the passageway
The S-ward of BMC has issued demolition notices to nearly 100 shops at the popular Galleria Shopping Center in Powai's Hiranandani Gardens for carrying out illegal alterations. The civic body has also written to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and asked it to review the food licences that the mushrooming eating joints there have.
Galleria Shopping Center has several supermarkets and restaurants too.
S-ward officials said that shops on the ground and first floors of the mall had illegally extended onto the passageways without requisite civic permissions. "We have been receiving complaints about unauthorised structures, which have mushroomed of late. Many food stalls cook in the passageway, which is against BMC norms," a civic official explained.
Another official said, "We had conducted a site inspection and found that most shops did not have permissions. Many of them had blocked the passageway."
Acting on the complaints, the civic body issued notices to shop owners and the building management, an S-ward official said.
NCP leader Sudhir Singh, who had first raised the issue of illegal stalls in the mall, insisted that the extensions were a fire hazard.
"There are about 28 illegal shops on the premises of the shopping centre. These shops sell fast food, electronic items, toys, perfumes and other products. The legal stall owners had taken up the issue with the management but no action was taken against the illegal stalls and extensions. So, we complained and took up the matter with the BMC," Singh said.
"If these shop owners don't remove the unauthorised alterations within the stipulated time, we will conduct a demolition drive," said the ward official.
Shop owners, however, said that they would go by the BMC notice. "We are here for almost 15 years, but why the issue has come up now? We have told the management about it but they have not done anything. We have only carried out minor extensions, that too outside our shops. If the BMC wants them to be removed, we will do so," said a shopkeeper who owns a food stall in the mall.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}