Mumbai News: BMC Issues Stop-Work Notice For Walkeshwar High-Rise Amid Residents' Road Widening Protest

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a Stop-Work notice for the proposed three-basement plus ground plus 14 storeyed building at Walkeshwar Road near Raj Bhavan- the governor's bunglow. The BMC action is considered as the first step to success for the Malabar Hill residents who are protesting against the shrinking Walkeshwar Road.

The residents have been demanding to increase the width of the existing 13.4 mt road to as per the Development Plan 2024, however the civic body has failed to widen the four lane road citing uneven land. Ironically, the proposal for a residential high-rise was sanctioned on the same steep slope land, which had irked the residents. 

Assistant Municipal Commissioner of D ward, Manish Valunju told The Free Press Journal that the notice was issued by the ward's designated officer after the building proposal department gave the letter asking to stop the work.

The which is issued to Architect Preeti Kashyap Barai and developer Dilip Chunilal Chandan says that the work has been commenced unlawfully. "The commencement certificate is not endorsed as per the last amendment plans and thereby you are directed to not start any work on the proposed residential building on CS 156 at Walkeshwar Road, until further orders from building proposal department regarding the issue of reduction of the road length at Walkeshwar Road," the notice says. 

The site is located at the Teen Batti junction on the Walkeshwar Road, an already congested road with lack of parking spaces for the existing residential towers. As soon as the Malabar Hill residents learnt about the BMC's approval for a high-rise on the land, which they claim can be used for road widening instead, the active residents met governor C.P Radhakrishnan and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, whose official residence 'Varsha' is also located in the vicinity.

Notably, the arterial road sees regular VIP movement as all cabinet ministers bunglows, state guest house, high court chief justice's residence and many other dignitaries residences and offices including the Mantralaya are connected through the Walkeshwar Road. The road already lacks footpaths and pedestrian facilities apart from lack of parking space.

"We thank CM Fadnavis for his intervention. The plot was vacant and non-buildable. The entire stretch of road from Afghan Consulate till this plot is owned by the government as it forms Raj Bhavan land. The corporation could have acquired the land and could have merged it and initiate the road widening and reduce congestion, which is the need of the hour. But the BMC did not take any step to acquire it," said Tushar Prabhoo, resident of Malabar Hill. 

Prabhoo also pointed that the as per the Development Plan of 1967, 1991 and 2024, the width of the road from Chowpatty Bandstand to Teen Batti junction is prescribed at 27.45 mts. However, the BMC in January 2023 issues a resolution under the MMC Act and reduced the width of the road segment from Afghan Consulate to Teen Batti junction to 17 mts.

The Malabar Hill residents have also been alleging that there has been no proper traffic feasibility study carried. The existing traffic story for the project is carried by the consultant appointment by the developer and not by the BMC or Mumbai Traffic police.

"It is very obvious that the initiative for reducing the width of such an important road was based on representation made by an Architect who had vested interest in getting the plot CTS No 156 for his client. Soon after the sanction, barracading was put up and commence the work. Although a stop work notice has been issued now, our demands remains that the project should be scrapped and land parcel should be used to widen Walkeshwar Road," Prabhoo said.