BMC faces flak over demolition

The Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday came in for flak after demolishing portions of the Bandra bungalow of Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, with some critics saying she was targeted while other defaulters were spared.
The 33-year-old actor, who is scheduled to reach here later in the day, has alleged that the Maharashtra government is targeting her because of her fight with the Shiv Sena.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday stayed the demolition process initiated by the BMC for illegal construction at Ranaut’s bungalow and sought to know why did the city civic body enter the property when the owner was not present.
BJP MLA Ashish Shelar said the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in Maharashtra is playing vendetta politics.
Kangana said the civic body should focus on the shoddy state of roads instead of targeting her bungalow.
“BMC, these are mumbai road and all you are concerned about is DEMOLITION of an actress house who is exposing mafia. KUDOS to you..!! #DeathOfDemocracy,” Kangana tweeted.
She also posted a photo of a Mumbai road riddled with several potholes. “Tell Kangana to keep the faith. We are with her in this struggle,” tweeted BJP MP Subramanian Swamy.
Senior journalist Nauzer Bharucha said, “If a forensic audit is done of most new buildings that have come up in Bandra-Khar area, it would reveal massive FSI manipulation, illegal floors, unauthorised balconies and construction areas much more than what is permissible.”
“The demolition of the unauthorised portion of Kangana Ranauts bungalow on Pali Hill is nothing but a muscular show of state power when much bigger construction crimes have been condoned,” said Bharucha, who has been covering real estate for over two decades for a leading English newspaper here.
“A few years ago, when comedian Kapil Sharma publicly accused BMC officials of seeking a Rs five lakh bribe from him, the civic administration promptly issued him a demolition notice for his Goregaon apartment,” he said. (PTI)