MUMBAI: Nearly a year after the Bombay High Court ordered residents of Tardeo’s Willingdon View Co-operative Housing Society Ltd to vacate the upper 18 floors of their 34-storey building due to the absence of an Occupation Certificate (OC), many are expressing relief following the BMC Standing Committee’s approval on July 8 of a proposal that may regularize such buildings.
Residents are now urging for the prompt clearance of the proposal by the BMC’s General Body, and they are requesting that the standard operating procedure (SOP) be made public to facilitate payment of the required charges, acquisition of an OC, and a return to their homes. Officials indicated that the proposal will be presented at the General Body meeting on July 13.
The proposed guidelines stipulate that only buildings with approved plans, valid Intimation of Disapproval (IOD), and Commencement Certificates (CC) will be eligible. Residential buildings, hospitals, and schools occupied before November 17, 2016, will qualify. For residential properties, eligibility will be limited to flats with a carpet area of up to 80 square meters (approximately 860 square feet).
The proposal additionally allows cooperative housing societies, developers, and individual flat owners to apply for occupancy certificates through certified architects or licensed surveyors. Applicants will need to provide proof of occupancy prior to the designated cut-off date, using property tax records, electricity bills, or other official documents.
“We met with Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde and local MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Friday, requesting their support for a swift approval of the proposal to initiate the application process,” commented Narendra Bhandari, a resident of the society.
The issue arose when a resident filed a petition alleging construction irregularities. The building only held a partial Occupation Certificate for floors 1 to 16 and lacked a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC). The BMC also cited unauthorized construction on floors 17 to 34.
On July 15 last year, the Bombay High Court ordered the occupants of floors 17 to 34 to vacate within two weeks. The Supreme Court upheld this order on August 1, and subsequently, on August 6, the High Court granted residents an additional three weeks to vacate, contingent on obtaining necessary undertakings.
