BMC demolishes ‘illegal’ hotel alongside Wadala bridge

BMC officials have taken stern action against the ‘illegal’ hotel that had come up alongside a bridge in Mumbai’s Wadala area by demolishing the structure.

According to a report in the Mumbai Mirror, a shop had existed at the spot earlier. However, the hotel’s owners converted it into a full fledged establishment a few months back.

The construction of the 17-room Hotel Wadala Garden Inn, and the apparent encroachment given its proximity to Nana Fadnavis Bridge, raised many eyebrows.

The structure’s blatant encroachment of the Wadala East-West bridge’s pavement left locals confused and angered. Soon after, environmental activist Jayan Shringarpure filed a complaint with the BMC, which responded by sending a notice to the owners in November.

“We had issued a notice to the owner a few months ago as he did not have the permission to construct the hotel. We conducted a hearing and he was not able to produce any relevant documents,” Assistant Municipal Commissioner, F-North Ward told Mirror.

The hotel opened for business in November, even as the civic body sought documents to prove the legality of the structure.

At the time, hotel owners Jehangir Sheikh and Ramesh Solanki had said that they were in the process of sending them. However, the failure to provide documents and pressure from citizens resulted in the hotel’s demolition two days back.

“We passed a reasoned order and then demolished the structure completely. We will take action against the owner if he tries to rebuild it,” Ubale said.

The plot where the hotel came up was reportedly leased out under vacant land tenancy in 1956.

The action, needless to say, elicited a positive response from citizens.

“We are extremely pleased with the outcome. The road adjacent to the bridge had become congested and things could only get worse from here. The civic body took some time, but we are all glad that the hotel was completely razed,” local resident Ashutosh Singh told Local Press Co.