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The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has directed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to act against unauthorised construction in two major buildings, including one opposite Vidhan Bhavan and another in Sadar. The court criticised over a decade of inaction and emphasised the seriousness of the violations. Demolition notices have been issued, giving owners a 15-day window to comply, failing which NMC will demolish the structures and recover costs. Past irregularities date back to 2004, with concerns over safety and proximity to sensitive establishments highlighted by petitioners.
The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has instructed the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) to move against illegal construction in two key buildings one opposite Vidhan Bhavan in Civil Lines and another in Sadar following prolonged judicial concern and administrative inaction. Notices have been served on building owners to remove the unauthorised portions within 15 days, after which the NMC will carry out demolition on the 16th day and recover costs from the owners. Advertisement
The action follows a petition by resident Vijay Babhre, who highlighted large-scale unauthorised construction and years of delay by the civic authorities. The court expressed displeasure at the nearly 11-year delay, describing it as serious and unjustified. It had earlier instructed NMC to take concrete action according to the law.
For the Civil Lines building opposite Vidhan Bhavan, unauthorised construction included over 510 square metres beyond sanctioned plans, 123 square metres in the basement, roughly 127 square metres from the first to eighth floors on the north side, about 40 square metres on the first floor, and over 1,000 square metres of an additional service floor. In the Sadar building, violations included a 1,298-square-metre parking area, more than 1,494 square metres built outside the plot boundary, 1,175 square metres on the seventh floor, and an additional structure exceeding the permitted height by 3 metres.
The petition had noted that scrutiny of the building opposite Vidhan Bhavan began in 2016 due to serious construction irregularities. Beyond breaches of building norms, concerns were raised about potential security and safety risks, given the buildings' proximity to Vidhan Bhavan and the Reserve Bank of India.
The NMC, in its affidavit, traced the history of the case to 2004, when a notice under Section 53 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act declared the seventh floor of the Civil Lines building unauthorised. The matter eventually reached the Supreme Court, which settled the issue on November 27, 2015. Despite these proceedings, substantial unauthorised construction remained, prompting the High Court to intervene again.
The court's order highlights the responsibility of civic authorities to enforce construction regulations effectively and to act promptly on legal violations, ensuring that building norms and safety standards are upheld.
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