The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to explore the possibility of regularising the illegally constructed flats in South Mumbai’s Campa Cola Society, raising hopes for their owners after they filed a fresh petition before the apex court seeking relief.
The apex court, while issuing a notice to the BMC and the Maharashtra government, asked to them to file response within three weeks.
The apex court also directed the BMC to see if the matter can be settled out of court.
What is preventing the Maharashtra government and the BMC from regularising 100 flats in Campa Cola compound that the civic body seeks to demolish for violations of norms, the apex court reportedly asked.
The Supreme Court had on June 3 dismissed the plea of the residents of the illegal flats against an earlier order asking them to vacate their apartments by May 31.
Following the apex court order, the BMC issued notices to the owners of the illegal units to hand over the keys to their flats so that demolition could be carried out.
The deadline for vacating the flats expired on June 20 and, as part of their plan to force the occupants to hand over the apartments, civic authorities cut off essential services like water and power supply to them.
In their last-ditch effort to save their flats, the residents had even petitioned to President Pranab Mukherjee, requesting him to stay the demolition of the illegal flats on “humanitarian grounds.”
Built between 1981 to 1989, the builders of the Campa Cola complex, who were originally authorised to build only nine buildings with five floors each, went on to construct an additional illegal 96 flats.
What followed were a series of court cases, which culminated in the Supreme Court order on June 3 dismissing the plea of residents of illegal flats against the earlier order asking them to vacate their premises by May 31.
