Mumbai: BMC orders inquiry into alleged illegal film studios in Madh, Marve and Malad
One of the studios under scanner, in Madh

Civic commissoner orders inquiry into the alleged roles played by the BMC officials at the time and the state coastal authority
Sameer Surve (MID-DAY; September 7, 2022)

BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the alleged illegal studios in Madh, Marve, Erangal, Bhati and Malad. The roles of officials from the civic body and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) are also under scanner.

Deputy Municipal Commissioner, Central Purchase Department, Harshad Kale will head the inquiry over the next four weeks, said Chahal. Among the officials under  scanner are P North ward’s assistant municipal commissioner and Assistant Engineer Tushar Dudhara.

Forgery allegations
“The BMC has received complaints about 49 such studios that came up between 2021 and 2022 in the no-development zone (NDZ) of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). There are allegations that thousands of square meters of such studios are built without proper permission, fraudulent documents forged with the help of BMC and MCZMA officials,” Chahal stated in a written order (a copy of which is with mid-day).

The MCZMA falls under the state’s Department of Environment, which was headed by Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray between 2021 and July 2022.

Recently, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya claimed that studios in Madh and Marve were illegal. Somaiya and other BJP leaders visited some of the studios and subsequently, the BMC issued stop-work notices to a few of them on August 26.

Report in four weeks
Chahal has asked the probe committee to conduct the enquiry within four weeks. “The enquiry report should include aspects specifying the role played by the BMC officials. The inquiry officer is also directed to see further proposed action to be taken by the BMC and other suggestive measures to prevent such wrongdoings,” his letter reads.

The committee will look into these points
>> Role of P-North ward
>> No. of functional studios
>> No. of permissions granted
>> What types of permissions were granted by MCZMA
>> Whether permissions were granted for temporary film shoots or sets
>> Whether BMC officials, in connivance with studio owners, misused temporary permissions
>> Whether studios have legal permission
>> Whether studios are in CRZ and NDZ
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Richa Pinto (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 8, 2022)

Mumbai: The inquiry initiated by BMC chief I S Chahal with regard to unauthorized studios in Malad is likely to probe the role of at least four civic officials, all from P North ward.

Meanwhile, the BMC on Wednesday transferred Tushar Dudhara, assistant engineer, P/North ward, to the Hydraulics department. Dudhara is among the officials under the scanner for his possible role in allowing unauthorized film studios to operate in the Madh, Marve area, without requisite MCZMA permissions. He was the only officer named by Chahal in an order on Tuesday, directing inquiry into these film studios.

Civic sources said the 49 studios under lens for flouting norms were constructed in 20202021. A BMC official said when the studios first came up, they had both BMC and Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) permissions. However, the permits are required to be renewed every six months. While the BMC kept renewing permissions, the MCZMA permissions were not in place.

A fortnight ago, the local BMC ward office issued notices to all these studios stating that their request for permission at MCZMA level is pending, and that they need to produce it before the BMC to continue operating these studios. As these studios continued getting BMC permissions without the MCZMA permissions, the role of four officers in charge during the period — namely assistant engineer, junior engineer, maintenance department officials and also the ward officers — will be probed.

While the inquiry timeline is for four weeks, it is learned that the civic chief has demanded that the same be completed as soon as possible with suggestive measures to prevent such wrongdoing. Former BJP MP Kirit Somaiyya, a complainant in the matter, also tweeted about the order on Tuesday.