Mumbai: Nearly a year after residents of Tardeo’s Willingdon View Co-operative Housing Society Ltd were ordered by the Bombay high court to vacate the top 18 floors of their 34-storey building for lacking an Occupation Certificate (OC), many have expressed relief after the BMC Standing Committee approved a proposal on July 8 that could pave the way for regularising such buildings. Residents have now urged the proposal be cleared by the BMC’s General Body at the earliest, and the standard operating procedure (SOP) be made public so they can pay the prescribed charges, obtain an OC and again move into their homes. Officials said that the proposal will come before the general body meeting next week on July 13.Under the proposed guidelines, only buildings that have approved plans, valid Intimation of Disapproval (IOD) and Commencement Certificates (CC) will qualify. Residential buildings, hospitals and schools occupied before Nov 17, 2016, will be eligible. For residential properties, the benefit will be restricted to flats measuring up to 80 square metres (around 860 square feet) carpet area.The proposal also allows co-operative housing societies, developers and, in certain cases, individual flat owners to apply for occupancy certificates through registered architects or licensed surveyors. Applicants will have to furnish proof of occupancy before the cut-off date through property tax records, electricity bills or other official documents. “We met Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde and local MLA Mangal Prabhat Lodha on Friday and requested them to ensure the proposal is approved without delay so that the application process can begin,” said Narendra Bhandari, a resident of the society. The controversy began after a resident of the building filed a petition alleging irregularities in the building’s construction. While the building had only a partial Occupation Certificate for floors 1 to 16 and no fire No Objection Certificate (NOC), the BMC also pointed to unauthorised construction on floors 17 to 34.On July 15 last year, the Bombay high court directed occupants of floors 17 to 34 to vacate their flats within two weeks. The Supreme Court upheld the order on Aug 1. Subsequently, on Aug 6, the High Court granted residents an additional three weeks, until Aug 27, to vacate the premises after obtaining undertakings from them.
