MUMBAI: All planning authorities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) are mandated to include a specific condition in their development permissions, ensuring compliance with special safety control measures for high-rise construction work at heights.
According to a government resolution (GR) from the urban development department, any breaches of these safety conditions will lead to civil and criminal repercussions.
“Any violation of the expert committee’s recommendations will be considered a breach of building permissions and may result in legal consequences,” the GR states.
Additionally, the resolution asserts that planning authorities must monitor high-rise projects closely to ensure compliance with the expert committee’s standards. “Immediate actions, including stop-work orders, will be enforced for any non-compliance, as ensuring human safety is of utmost importance,” the GR emphasizes.
The expert committee, appointed by the Bombay High Court in connection with a 2023 Public Interest Litigation (PIL), issued guidelines on crane operations and other height-related installations.
In 2022 and 2023, incidents involving tower cranes impacted pedestrians. For example, on February 14, 2023, concrete blocks fell from a 42nd-floor construction site onto an adjacent road, tragically killing two pedestrians.
Currently, there are over 416 building proposals in the pipeline with heights ranging from 150m to 331m, including plans for a 400m high structure, as per the expert committee report.
