Mumbai: The BMC has issued a new notice to actor Sonu Sood for failing to restore his six-storey building from a hotel back to a residential building. In July the BMC had asked Sood to convert his Juhu hotel back into a residential building and remove any unauthorised construction that has been carried out in the building.

Sood had told the BMC in July that he would on his own restore the building, but a new BMC notice issued by the K-West ward last month said that Sood had not yet restored the building.

In the warning notice, the BMC has asked Sood to restore the structure as per the approved plan within seven days, failing which action would be taken without further intimation.

“You have stated in your letter….that you discontinued the activity of lodging/boarding in the existing 1st to 6th floors of the building and it shall be used for residential purposes as per sanctioned plan. Also you have mentioned that necessary work for addition/alteration/restoration is under progress …this office has inspected the site on 20.10.2021 and it is observed that you have not yet restored the work as per approved plan,” the BMC notice reads.

Sood said he had already converted the Shakti Sagar building on AB Nair Road into a residential structure. “We have already carried out the restoration. We have submitted the details to the BMC and the documentation process is underway. I am not carrying out any unauthorised activity and it will remain a residential structure as per the approved plan,” he told TOI.

Activist Ganesh Kusmulu, who had filed a complaint with the Lokayukta against Sood, said the police must register an FIR against Sood. “The restoration has not taken place. The hotel has been converted into a girls’ hostel now. This also amounts to change of use. The BMC is not carrying out demolition despite the Lokayukta’s order. The BMC is only issuing notices and delaying the demolition action,” Kusumulu said.

Sood had allegedly converted the building into a hotel without necessary permission from the BMC. Earlier this year Sood, after getting a rap from the Bombay high court and withdrawing his petition before the Supreme Court, had agreed to restore the building from an unauthorised hotel back into a residential premises.

Mumbai: The BMC has directed actor Sonu Sood to restore the six-storey Shiv Sagar building in Juhu from a hotel to residential premises within two weeks. Sood said he will comply with the order.

The BMC’s K-West ward issued a letter to the actor asking him to revert the building status to residential and remove all unauthorized constructions and alterations. The action comes after municipal commissioner Iqbal Chahal approved a proposal from Sood’s architects to restore the change of user of the building back to residential, which the actor had allegedly converted into a hotel without necessary permission from BMC.

“The deputy chief engineer of the building proposal department, western suburbs, said the municipal commissioner has approved the proposal…the commissioner further said that the assistant municipal commissioner be told to take action against unauthorized constructions, if any. You are instructed to remove the unauthorized work...within 15 days, else this office will take further action without any further intimation,” stated the June 29 letter to Sood and his architects, Paarth Architural Consultants.

Sood told TOI, “Our restoration proposal has been approved and we are following all orders...We will continue to follow all rules in the future too. The recent letter is about some structures that do not belong to us in the same building. But if anything has to be done on our end, we will do it as advised.”

Activist Ganesh Kusmulu, who had filed a complaint with Lokayukta against Sood, said the police must register an FIR against the actor. “The BMC and police have tried to delay the matter. The illegal construction must be demolished and an FIR filed immediately. I will move the Lokayukta against those who fail to take action if Sood and his architects do not demolish the structures within 15 days as per the letter,” he said.

Mumbai: The BMC has filed a police complaint against actor Sonu Sood for allegedly converting a six-storey residential building in Juhu into a hotel without the required permissions. The BMC has asked the Juhu police to take cognisance of the offence committed by Sood under the Maharashtra Region and Town Planning (MRTP) Act citing unauthorised additions, alterations and change of user.

Sood has maintained he had BMC permissions for change of user and was only waiting for a clearance from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).

The BMC, in its complaint to Juhu police dated January 4, stated Sood has converted the Shakti Sagar building, a residential building on Juhu’s AB Nair Road into a hotel without change of user permissions.

“It has been found that Sonu Sood has instituted/commenced/undertaken/carried out development or changed the user of land. Unauthorised addition/alterations beyond approved plan and unauthorised change of user from residential to residential hotel building without taking technical sanction from competent authority,” the BMC’s complaint stated.

“It was found that the accused had not complied with the notice and was continuing to carry out the unauthorised development even after the notice was served on him. The accused has committed a punishable offence under Section 7 of the MRTP Act… I request you to take cognisance of the offence and deal with the accused according to the law,” the BMC said.

Officials said that Sood had moved the city civil court against a notice sent by BMC in October but did not get any interim relief. “The court had given him 3 weeks’ time to appeal in high court. Since three weeks passed and he had not restored the alterations and additions as per the approved plan, we have filed a police complaint to register an FIR under the MRTP Act,” a civic official said. Activist Ganesh Kusmulu said BMC acted only after directions from then Lokayukta M L Tahaliyani. “I have been following up on this issue for close to two years. BMC must take demolition action,” Kusmulu said.

Sood said, “I have already taken approval for change of user from BMC. It was subject to approval of MCZMA. This permission hasn’t come due to Covid-19. There are no irregularities. I always abide by the law. This hotel was used to house Coronavirus warriors during the pandemic. If permissions don’t come, I will restore it back to a residential structure. I am appealing against BMC’s complaint in the Bombay high court.”

AMC Vishwas Mote of K West ward said, “We are taking action as per procedure.”