September 6, 2025:
Residents of a luxury high-rise in south Mumbai have been ordered to pay nearly Rs 35 crore to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in order to secure a full Occupancy Certificate (OC). The 34-storey Willingdon View Co-operative Housing Society (CHS), located in Tardeo, has been embroiled in a legal and regulatory battle since violations were uncovered two years ago.
According to civic officials, the penalty comprises Rs 31 crore in regularisation charges for excess Floor Space Index (FSI) usage and unauthorised construction, alongside Rs 4 crore towards additional parking requirements. Only after payment of the entire sum will the tower be regularised and deemed eligible for a full OC.
The building was completed in 2008, but irregularities surfaced in 2022 when a buyer, Sunil Jhaveri, approached the Bombay High Court (HC). He alleged that the tower lacked safety clearances, including a fire NOC, and that upper-floor residents had been living without an OC. Investigations revealed that the top 17 floors had been occupied illegally, and that the society had exceeded the permissible FSI limit of 1.33 by nearly 2,500 square metres.
A senior civic official explained that the society must pay a condonation premium for both the additional construction and the absence of a mandatory second staircase, with only one stairwell currently measuring less than two metres in width. “The penalty is unavoidable since the building is already complete,” the official said.
On July 15, the HC ordered eviction of residents from the top 17 floors. Their appeal in the Supreme Court was rejected on 1 August, and following a short reprieve, they were forced to vacate their homes on August 27.
The case comes against the backdrop of the BMC’s revised penalty framework, replacing a 1995 circular, aimed at deterring unauthorised occupancy and ensuring compliance with fire and structural safety norms.
Source: The Free Press Journal
