Construction without any permission

Fire department not sure whether MMRDA made a mistake in not taking their permission to construct Ulhasnagar Skywalk

Fire department not sure whether MMRDA made a mistake in not taking their permission to construct Ulhasnagar Skywalk

In its haste to begin work on the Ulhasnangar skywalk, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) has overlooked an important detail informing the Ulhasnagar fire department about the construction.





This is what activist Naresh Tahilramani found out in response to his RTI query, asking for details of the project.

"When I heard that MMRDA had not taken the required permission from the fire department for the project, I asked the fire depart- ment about it.

EXPOSED: An RTI report states that the MMRDA has not taken permission from the fire department for the skywalk project in Ulhasnagar.

However, I did not get a proper reply. So, I filed an RTI application and got a copy of the report, which clearly said the MMRDA had not taken any permission for the project," said Tahilramani.

"No one in MMRDA or the Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) is giving any information, as their
mistake has been exposed. They are coming up with different statements."

About Skywalk

The Ulhasnagar skywalk will cost Rs 29 crore and will connect Ulhasnagar sectors 3 and 4 to the Ulhasnagar railway station. The deadline for the project is January 31, 2010.

The Other Side

Bhaskar Mirpagar, additional fire officer, Ulhasnagar fire department said, "The MMRDA has not taken permission, but we are investigating whether they need to do so, as they had informed UMC."

Ashwini Bhide, joint metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA said, "It's the duty of the UMC to inform the fire department as it comes under its jurisdiction."

On the other hand, MMRDA's executive engineer for the project said, "Yes, there is a provision for fire safety in the project and we will take the permission after the completion of the project."

Ashok Bageshwar, municipal commissioner, UMC, had an entirely different take on the issue. "The government body does not need to take any permission for any type of construction.
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The skywalk is our project, so I don't think that there is need for any permission."