MUMBAI: BMC has issued a stop-work notice for a transit camp in Worli after finding out it is coming up on the civic body’s own reserved land parcel earmarked for construction of a sewage treatment plant.
Civic officials said two of BMC’s sewer lines pass through the plot, and preliminary findings indicate construction activity has already disturbed sewage flow, raising concerns of flooding and infrastructure failure, especially during monsoon.
Additional civic chief Ashwini Joshi Thursday directed BMC’s chief engineer (sewerage operations) to file a criminal complaint against D B Patil, a Slum Rehabilitation Authority executive engineer from G South ward, for allegedly illegally granting permission in April 2025 for seven transit camp buildings.
In her official communication, Joshi accused Patil of collusion with the project’s privatedevelopers, Lokhandwala Infrastructure Pvt Ltd along with M/s Lokhandwala DB Realty LLP.
The developer claimed all approvals had been duly granted.
The transit camp buildings (numbered 1 to 7) are for a proposed special township project involving redevelopment of slums at Jivanjyot (SRA) CHS, Shree Swami Vivekanand Nagar, Veer Jijamata Nagar and Mata Ramabai Nagar in Worli.
Patil told TOI that the SRA (Slum Rehabilitation Authority) had revoked permission for construction of the transit camp buildings and he had filed an FIR against the developers on Sept 15, 2025, stating that work on the camp was started without permission. He added, “We are handing over the reservation plot (to the BMC) tomorrow.”
The latest developments come in the wake of a notice issued by the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which warned that damage to major sewer lines at the site could trigger flooding across large parts of central and south Mumbai during monsoon.
According to DDMA, the site houses a critical and ageing sewer network, including a 57inch diameter sewer line and a 4ft 8 inches by 7ft main sewer line. These lines are connected to the Lovegrove Sewerage Pumping Station and carry substantial sewage flow from G South and G North wards.
Any damage to these lines, particularly during the monsoon, when sewage inflow rises significantly, the DDMA has said, could disrupt upstream sewer networks and trigger flooding in several densely populated areas including Shivaji Park, Dadar, Prabhadevi, Lower Parel, Delisle Road, Worli and Saat Rasta.
Civic officials said the approvals were granted despite the land being reserved for public utilities and the presence of critical sewer infrastructure. “The approval of transit camps on a reserved plot that is to be handed over to BMC is completely illegal,” Joshi said, adding that the SRA asking the architect to seek a no-objection certificate from the land-owning authority (BMC) was also illegal.
The BMC has annexed the property register (PR) card to its official communication to make it clear that the land belongs to it. A letter sent by the SRA to the BMC on Thursday also stated that the slum rehab authority had initiated the action of revoking the approval given to construct the transit camp buildings.
A spokesperson for Lokhandwala DB Realty LLP (now renamed Valor Estate) stated, “The temporary transit camp structures are permitted in-situ on the reserved land as per the provisions of Clause 4 of Reg. 33(10) of Development Control & Promotion Regulations, 2034 (DCPR-2034). Accordingly, SRA has duly granted the approval for temporary transit camp structure buildings on 11.04.2025. Further, as per clause 4.6 of Reg. 33(10) of DCPR-2034, ‘In all such cases where the temporary transit camp is erected, the condition shall be that the structures shall be demolished by the developer/society/NGO within 30 days of granting Occupation Certificate to the rehab buildings and the site should be brought back to the original state. Till the transit camps are fully demolished, development rights for the free sale area shall not be permitted to be used beyond 75% of the total admissible free sale area permissible under this regulation.’ A condition to the above effect has already been incorporated in the letter of intent (LOI) dated 31.12.2012 issued by the SRA in favour of the principal developer (BMC) & the implementing agency.”
The spokesperson said that BMC’s assertions in the matter “are inconsistent with the law and the approvals granted so far.”
Richa Pinto is a special correspondent with The Times of India. S...
Read MoreRicha Pinto is a special correspondent with The Times of India. She covers urban governance & climate change issues. With over a decade of experience in field reporting, she has written extensively on various civic issues affecting Mumbaikars. She graduated in -journalism from the prestigious Mumbai-based St Xavier's College and later pursued a three-year Law degree (L.L.B.) with the University of Mumbai. She regularly tweets about all things that matter to Mumbai on-- @richapintoi.
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