Jog through the clouds, subject to BMC approval

A jogging track where you can run among the clouds, an infinity pool where you can swim away the blues and a club house that leaves you feeling on top of the world, literally. Welcome to the Galileo Deck at Runwal Elegante in Andheri, which promises all the trappings of a luxurious life 500 feet above the ground, putting the good-old terrace to some serious good use. The only hitch is that this USP of the ambitious three-tower project has not even been cleared by civic officials.

With the BMC hardening its stance against errant builders and cracking down on violations in new constructions, the walk-in-the-sky may well turn out to be a pie in the sky eventually. The lofty plans of a ‘sky café’ and a ‘lounge’ on the inter-connected terrace of the three towers may look good on the builder’s sales brochure, but civic authorities are likely to frown upon them.
“We have given the developer permission for construction only up to 22m. The builder may make any claims in his advertisements, but as far as we are concerned, we are not even aware about the existence of any deck on the terrace,” said a senior official attached to the BMC’s building and proposal department. He added that the days of pushing through any violations are now over, and the BMC will strictly go by the book while clearing all plans for new buildings. “Ideally, the builder should get the plans cleared and then promote the project with prospective home buyers,” the official said.
Real estate consultants in the area have their own take on the sky-high plans at Runwal Elegante. “There’s a nullah flowing right past the site. If the developer provides amenities like a club house and a jogging track at the ground level, nobody will enjoy them because of the stench,” said a Versova-based consultant, adding that this also explains why the builder has planned parking zones up to the 10th floor, with the residences offering ‘fabulous 4BHKs’ and ‘resplendent 5BHKs’ starting only after that.
Well aware of the chances of its Galileo Deck plans getting altered or even shot down by civic officials, the developer has slipped in a disclaimer in the project’s brochure, of course in fine print. “The picture/perspective of the building is an artist’s impression of the development and the developer reserves the right to make additions, alterations and amendments to the plans, specifications, images and details as may be deemed appropriate in the interest of continuing improvement. The plans have been submitted to the BMC.  Final approval from the authorities is awaited,” the clause says. The developers, on their part, maintain that the Galileo Deck is an innovative approach to optimum utilisation of terrace space.


“The cafe and the lounge are going to be open air and all the other amenities also will be as per the norms prescribed by the BMC. There is no FSI violation; it’s just an effort to give our customers the maximum recreational spaces,” said Sandeep Runwal, director, Runwal Group.