Exclusive | Mumbai: In Juhu, the dust never settles

An investigation by midday based on information received by a whistleblower has revealed that developers in Juhu have refused to heed stopwork notices issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation A letter from K West ward to MHADA authorities dated February 29 provided by the whistleblower revealed that after a survey was carried out in Juhu based on residentsrsquo complaints three underdevelopment projects in the area had been issued stopwork notices while eight had been issued showcause notices for violating BMCissued pollution guidelinesLetterrsquos contentsThe letter a copy of which is with midday states ldquoAs per the Air Pollution Mitigation Guidelines this office has formed squads and the same has visited the various sites under construction The squad has issued notices to the sites which are not following the guidelinesrdquoThe letter signed by Prithviraj Chauhan assistant municipal commissioner of K West ward continues ldquoThese developers are not complying with the guidelines issued by honrsquoble municipal commissioner BMC vide above reference and the planning authority for the said buildings lies with MHADA It is once again requested to direct the staff concerned to take appropriate action concerning Air Pollution Mitigation Guidelines and give relief to adjoining residentshellip Please treat this as importantrdquoAlso Read Mumbai Rampant construction work leaves Juhu residents gasping for airViolations galoreThe whistleblower said ldquoWe were receiving constant complaints from the residents of Gulmohar Road and JVPD about developers flouting pollution norms The ward office formed squads to visit the underconstruction projects to check compliance with guidelines Sadly it seems that the developers are not abiding by the noticesrdquoThe investigationWhen this reporter posing as a property buyer visited the three sites that had been issued stopwork notices on the weekend work was still going on He spoke to several individuals at each spot The conversations are as followsChayya ResidencyNS Road no 5 JVPD Scheme JuhuSecurity guard Dinesh Chaurasia speaks to the reporter at the Chayya Residency site in Juhu on 3 PicsAnurag AhireDinesh Chaurasia a security guard at the construction site revealed that no flats were for sale in the projectReporter Yaha pe BMC ne kuch issue kiya hai kya Was something issued here by the BMCThe Chayya Residency site in Juhu on 3 No flats were available for sale in the projectDinesh BMC issue karte rehti hai lekin kaam to chalta rahega Hamare saath aaju baju me kaam chalu hai unko bhi kuch notice bheji hai lekin kaam sab jaghe pe chalu hai The BMC keeps doing that but the work should go on Some others have also been served notices but their work hasnrsquot stoppedLotus VentureKuber Villa CTS no 305 NS Road JVPD Scheme Vile Parle WestContractor Ram opens up to the reporter at the Kuber Villa siteRam the contractor told this reporter that no one was concerned about the civic bodyReporter Yaha pe BMC ka kuch issue nahi hai na There isnrsquot any issue with the BMC is thereRam Kuch lafda nahi hai Nothing of the sortReporter Maine suna hai ki BMC ne ye area me bohot saare construction projects ko notice bheji hai Apne project ko koi issue nahi hai na Flat book karne ke baad issue nahi hoga na I have heard that BMC has issued notices to many construction sites This project isnrsquot one of them right After booking a flat there wonrsquot be any issues rightRam Koi masla nahi hai yaha BMC ka Kaam chalu hai dekho aap khud No As you can see the work is ongoingSite incharge Sambhu Kumar confirmed that a stopwork notice had been issued He also revealed that despite lacking permission to carry out work on Sundays it was happening as he took the BMC and police into confidenceReporter Mujhe pata chala hai ki ye area me BMC ne kuch notice bheji thi bohot projects ko to is se project ko koi problem nahi hoga na I have come to know that BMC has issued a notice to many construction sites in the area Is the project going to be affected by thisSambhu Dekhiye BMC ne bohot log ko notice bheji hai kyuki pollution ka issue ho raha tha Humko bhi stop work notice aayi hai lekin uska project ko koi problem nahi hoga Diwali tak project khatam ho jayega Plinth ka kaam hote hi RERA ka registration number bhi aa jayega Hum log manage kar lete hai ye sab cheeje BMC sabko notice bhejti rehti hai Aaj to kaam ki permission bhi nahi thi fir bhi kaam to chal hi raha hai Project ko kuch problem nahi aayega notice ke wajhe se See the BMC has sent notices to many construction sites due to the pollution issue Even we have received one but it wonrsquot affect this project We usually manage such things The project is scheduled to end by this Diwali Once the plinthlaying work is completed we will get our RERA registration number We manage everything The BMC keeps sending notices to everyone Today we didnrsquot have permission to commence work but we managed it by taking the BMC and police into confidence The project will not suffer because of the noticeReporter Pakka koi problem nahi hoga na Are you sure that there will be no issuesSambhu Ha sir aap tension mat lo hum log sab manage kar lete hai koi issue nahi aayega Donrsquot worry sir We manage everything There will be no issuesParinee Vir BhuvanElenora CTS no 10 plot no 5 NS RoadThe site of Parinee Vir Bhuvanrsquos Elenora projectThe contractor at this site revealed that the builderrsquos office was closed as it was Sunday but work was still ongoingReporter Mujhe pata chala hai ki ye area me BMC ne kuch notice bheji thi bohot projects ko to is se project ko koi problem nahi hoga na I have come to know that BMC has issued a notice to many construction sites in the area Is the project going to be affected by thisContractor Sahab notice aayi hai lekin kaam chalu hai Koi problem to ho nahi raha hai Bas pani ka fawara chalu karte hai thodi thodi der me pollution ke liye A notice has been sent to us but work is still ongoing We are not facing any issue Just that we turn on the water fumigation from time to time for the air pollution issueReporter Pakka koi issue nahi hoga na notice ke wajhe se flat book karne ke baad Are you sure there will be no issues after booking a flat despite the noticeContractor Nahi koi issue nahi hoga There will be no problemsEmails and messages sent to respective builders remained unanswered by press timeOfficial SpeakChauhan told midday that the notices were issued based on pollutioncontrol guidelines set by the municipal commissioner and rising complaints about the norms not being followed ldquoSince the permissiongiving authority to these projects was MHADA this office has also written a letter to it to take stringent action against the developers These developers donrsquot fear or respect the orders issued by the BMC Hence we had to write to the MHADA to take stringent action against themrdquo A MHADA spokesperson said she would need to verify the matter before making any commentThe projects in Juhu that received showcause notices over violation of pollution guidelinesgtgt Hutkunj Project CTS no 283 N S Road no 2 Vile Parle Westgtgt Krishna CHS CTS no 194 plot no 511 NS Road no 3gtgt Concord CHS 101 CTS no 0516 Gulmohar Cross Road JVPD Schemegtgt Chandravilla plot no 26 NS Road no 12 Jai Hind CHS JVPD Schemegtgt Ila CHS Ltd plot no 3 CTS no 196A JVPD Schemegtgt Alaknanda Gurukripa CTS no 195191 A Gulmohar Cross Road no 10gtgt Dyan Project Middle Class Friends Society CTS no 1 NS Road no 10gtgt Parinee Anamika CTS no 19519 Gulmohar Cross Road no 1008No of projects issued showcause notices