Renting out terrace for weddings, functions is illegal: Bombay HC

Dheeraj Heritage is a commercial building in Daulat Nagar which hosted unauthorized roof-top receptions

Bringing to an end a long run of unauthorised roof-top receptions in a commercial building in Santacruz (west), the Bombay High Court has observed that renting out a terrace for weddings, functions is illegal

The matter came to the fore after the society members of  Dheeraj Heritage in Daulat Nagar moved the high court after the BMC issued an order of attachment last year against the building because of unpaid property tax of over Rs 6 crore from 2001 till March 31, 2011.

The society revealed before the that  terrace was illegally being let out for weddings by a person, based on a “purported memorandum of understanding” signed by the developer. Also, the society claimed that it has paid the tax money to the developer, and it’s his company that has not deposited the money with the BMC.

Asked by the high court to explain how such renting of roof could take place, the civic body’s counsel said it was “illegal to rent it out for private functions” and that illegal structures on the terrace were demolished.

The society complained that the municipality had, for a decade, turned a blind eye to these illegalities.