The Indian Meteorological Department on Monday informed the Bombay high court that developers constructing high-rises in South Mumbai need not seek a no-objection certificate from it.
This is good news for almost 124 under-construction buildings, work on which was stalled because they came in the 10-km radius of the Doppler radar installed at Colaba.
A bench of justices Anoop Mohta and Amjad Sayyed directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to not insist for an NOC from IMD for processing plans of high-rises in A, B, C and D wards.
The ministry of earth science, which was told by HC to clarify its stand whether it was willing to not ask for an NOC, said IMD's guidelines will not come in the way of high-rises around Doppler radars installed in metropolitan cities like Mumbai.
Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industries (MCHI) and some individual developers, whose construction projects in South Mumbai had been stalled, had challenged BMC's action of insisting on an NOC from IMD.
MCHI counsel Janak Dwarkadas had submitted that the insistence had resulted in halting development in entire South Mumbai, especially in the four wards. He had submitted that the Doppler was installed without application of mind as 28 buildings exceeding height of 68 metres existed before the Doppler's installation four years back and 23 high-rises exceeding the height limit have come up since then.
The state had also supported the petitioners with advocate general Darius Khambata saying a modern city cannot be without high-rises.
IMD installed the Doppler atop a building at a height of 68 metres and had issued instructions to BMC to insist for an NOC from it before processing plans for construction of buildings above 68 metres in height claiming that such buildings cause hindrance in the radar reception.
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