Mumbai: BMC to crop shop set up illegally in garage space in Pali Hill

The owner, Farook Khatri, is converting his garage (left) into a shop

Residents of the once quiet and peaceful Pali Village Gaothan in Bandra have been drowning in dust and noise for the past three months, thanks to the allegedly illegal construction work going on at a nearby garage. Even a notice from the BMC has failed to stop the owner from continuing with the unauthorised work. The civic body is now set to demolish it next week.

Fatima Sheikh, 68, who has been living there for the past 50 years, is unable to leave her windows open or sit outdoors because of the dust and din. The source of the disturbance is an open garage in the that is being converted into shop space in the adjacent Elcid residential complex.

Sheikh and the other aggrieved residents' protest is led by Stardust Gonsalves, 53, whose home is right behind the garage. "The workers start work whenever they feel like, and sometimes work late into the night. There is dust everywhere, which affects me badly, as I have breathing problems. Moreover, due to the constant noise, I am unable to work at home," she said.

Residents of the Pali Village Gaothan in Bandra have had no peace since construction began at the garage

Repeated complaints
Gonsalves first approached the BMC about this on August 7, but fellow Gaothan resident Jacqueline D'Souza, 56, said repeated complaints had not resulted in any action. They also alleged that the owner of the garage, Farook Khatri, harasses them. "None of us is able to keep our windows open because of the dust and the sound of the drilling machines. Many of the residents here are senior citizens. When we complain and the police arrive, they stop the work for 10-15 minutes and then it starts again," said D'Souza.

The same issues plague J Miranda, a resident of Elcid building, which shares its compound with the garage in question. Miranda was the previous landlord of the plot until he sold it to the builder in 1979. The builder had made four open-air garages, and it is illegal to carry out any construction there, alleged Miranda.

"They have constructed stairs that go underground [to a basement]. As they are supposed to be open garages, this construction work is not legal. Even after the BMC issued a notice to stop the work, they have continued with it," said Gonsalves, referring to the speaking order issued by the building and factory department of the H-West ward office on October 11.

BMCspeak
The BMC's notice stated that the owner had failed to produce any documents granting him permission for the work. It further directed Khatri to restore the structure to its original state. Civic officials said after an inquiry held last month, they found the construction work inside all four garages to be unauthorised, as open garages are not even meant to be covered. "We have already issued notice to them for unauthorised work. We will take further demolition action as per the law," said Sharad Ugade, assistant municipal commissioner of H-West ward.

The other side
Khatri claimed the City Civil Court granted a stay order on the demolition yesterday, but could not produce the documents to support this. Civic officials, too, said they have not received any such notification.

Referring to the allegations as false and baseless, Khatri said, "If there were problems of dust and noise, the [Elcid] society would have complained. How can the members of the gaothan be affected at all?"

Khatri, also a resident of Elcid, said he had bought the garage as a commercial property in 2001. "The garages are 40-year-old properties. Did the BMC suddenly realise that constructing inside them is illegal? The previous landlord, Miranda, wants to sell this land to another builder, which is why he and Gonsalves are trying to get my property demolished. But I will fight it in the high court, too, if needed," he said.

Also Read: Vile Parle gaothan residents afraid of being displaced by Western Railway

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