MUMBAI: On Thursday, 34 residents vacated their flats in Tardeo’s Willingdon View housing society, following a Bombay High Court deadline. Local MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha, along with other residents, met with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, urging the swift issuance of the Occupation Certificate (OC) for the upper 18 floors.
The High Court had recently declined to extend the August 27 deadline for occupants to leave the upper floors of the 34-story building, which currently lacks OC.
According to Assistant Municipal Commissioner of D Ward, Manish Walunju, each floor consists of two flats, some of which have been merged. “Following the High Court directive, we confirmed that 34 residents vacated the upper 18 floors,” he stated.
During a visit by TOI on Thursday afternoon, the atmosphere at the residential complex was tense. While some residents moved out, others lingered in the lobby area. “Some have relocated with relatives, while others are unsure of their next move,” mentioned a local resident.
Lodha conveyed to TOI that society members are prepared to pay the penalty for any delays until they receive the mandatory no-objection certificate (NOC) but believe the process is being unnecessarily delayed despite meeting fire safety requirements.
“Residents are facing ‘harassment’ from the fire department, despite adherence to the rules. During our meeting with the Chief Minister, he instructed immediate action and directed the relevant department to issue an OC. We appreciate the CM’s support,” Lodha remarked, also participating in a protest at BMC headquarters.
Society chairman Narendra Bhandari stated, “We have followed court orders and vacated the premises. We are hopeful that justice will prevail.”
A petition by resident Sunil Jhaveri raised concerns about illegalities related to the absence of a fire NOC and a partial OC for floors 1-16. The BMC identified construction irregularities on floors 17-34. On July 15, the High Court instructed residents of these floors to vacate within two weeks, a ruling upheld by the Supreme Court on August 1. The High Court later granted an additional three weeks to vacate by August 27 and requested a commitment from affected residents.
