January 9, 2018
The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has targeted BJP
MP and actor Shatrughan Sinha by razing several alleged illegal constructions
inside his eight-storey residential bungalow 'Ramayan' in Juhu.
A civic
official said the demolition work on Monday was incomplete and the actor had
been asked to shift an illegal prayer (pooja) room, failing which it would be
razed.
Sinha will now be booked under BMC laws for the unauthorized
constructions and the civic body will also recover the demolition costs from
him.
The Sinhas have been living since 2012 in this redeveloped residence
in the fashionable Juhu area of western suburbs.
The civic officials
found in Sinha's home an illegal toilet on the terrace, two more toilets and a
small pantry in the refuge area, an office and a prayer room in the stilt area -
which the actor has described as "minor alterations" but did not protest at
their removal.
The BMC had earlier slapped Sinha with notices under the
Maharashtra Region & Town Planning Act (MRTP) for the illegal constructions on
December 6 but they were ignored, though the actor claimed he was awaiting
permission for additional construction rights for the same.
The BMC
notices, including a final one on Saturday, followed complaints last year that
Sinha had used excess floor space index to make several illegal additions to his
residence, redeveloped from a bungalow to a building in 2012.
The BMC's
approved plans for the structure included stilts, a double-floor podium and an
eight-storey building above, but the alleged illegalities are believed to have
come up after the family shifted in the redeveloped premises five years ago.
Besides Sinha, several other Bollywood personalities, including Shah Rukh
Khan and Kapil Sharma, have faced the BMC demolition squads.
Others like
Amitabh Bachchan and Rajkumar Hirani were served notices for alleged violations
at their Goregaon bungalows in October 2017.