The city civic body razed illegal extensions and constructions in an eight-storey residential building owned by BJP MP Shatrughan Sinha in Juhu area.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had received several complaints of illegal extensions in Sinha's residence 'Ramayan' in the last few months. Subsequently, notices were also served to him, a civic official said on Tuesday, 9 January.
"Though Sinha replied to our notices, we still found lapses and extensions violating the construction norms. Therefore, we served him another notice last week and demolished the illegal constructions yesterday," the official said.
Sinha took to twitter to say that he was paying the price for practicing “honest politics based on facts, figures and truth” and for supporting senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha.
“It...started with the removal of my security cover in Delhi..and now demolition at my residence,” adding that the demolition could very well be a “knee jerk” reaction to the fire in Kamala Mills.
He said that although he hopes that the BMC demolishes illegal constructions, in his case, “a minor alteration done by them (of breaking a toilet) has been blown out of proportion.”
The Lok Sabha member from Bihar, who has been at variance with the BJP’s stand on a host of issues, was at home when the demolition work was carried out.The civic official said Sinha cooperated while the illegal extensions were razed at his home, where he lives with his family.
The cine star-turned-parliamentarian had redeveloped his bungalow some years back to construct the eight-storey building.
According to the civic official, who supervised the demolition work, several extensions and alterations were made in the house, including two toilets and a pantry in the refuge area, a toilet on the terrace, an office and a 'pooja' (prayer) room.
All these were not in sync with the approved plan, he said.
"We demolished all the unapproved constructions, but left the pooja room. We have given him (Sinha) time to relocate it. If he does not remove it, it will also be razed as our work is not over yet," the official said.
He added that a police complaint against Sinha will be filed, as per the prescribed rules.
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