A division bench of justices Abhay Oka and CV Bhadang observed, "The commissioner has to apply his mind and decide either to override the heritage conservation committee's recommendation and demolish it, or barricade the entire structure and surroundings."
The Bombay high court on Tuesday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation chief to decided by May 7 whether the civic authority would demolish a century-old dilapidated structure on DN Road, or preserve it as recommended by the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee, which would pose a threat to citizens' life.
A division bench of justices Abhay Oka and CV Bhadang observed, "The commissioner has to apply his mind and decide either to override the heritage conservation committee's recommendation and demolish it, or barricade the entire structure and surroundings."
The bench added, "The disputes between the parties involved, LIC, owners of the building, and tenants can continue but what if the building collapses and passersby on the busy DN Road are injured. It is a dangerous building as per the VJTI report submitted before the court."
The court made these observations while hearing a petition filed by LIC, which challenges the heritage conservation committee's recommendation against demolishing the building. It directed the commissioner to call a meeting of all the parties concerned and come up with a solution. While the corporation assured the court that it would ensure proper barricading of the surroundings so that nobody parks their car or walks near the building.
The LIC building, a three-storey brick-and-stone structure, was constructed in 1908. It has housed offices of companies like Bisleri, National Insurance Corporation, Western India Typewriter Co and the Hornby Commercial College. A few years ago, following heavy rains, a portion ofthe ceiling in the building has collapsed, following which all the tenants were evacuated.
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