Nod for Mukesh Ambani’s Antilla parking lot illegal

Admitting that there were irregularities while allotting permission for a parking lot to industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s Antilla on Altamount Road, minister of state for urban development department Bhaskar Jadhav said if the permission had not been given for the parking area, the space could have been used as a pavement.

Members of the treasury benches raised the issue of the alleged irregularities by Antilla Commercial Pvt Ltd in the state assembly on Tuesday.

Rajhans Singh from Congress and Jitendra Avhad and Shashikant Shinde from the Nationalist Congress Party asked why the building was given permission for a pay-and-park, which was initially turned down by the municipal corporation, in the House.

They also questioned why the wall, which allegedly is an encroachment, has not been demolished despite a notice being served to the owner.

When Jadhav claimed the wall has been demolished, leader of Opposition Eknath Khadse argued that the wall still stands resulting in a furore in the House.

Khadse said he possessed copies of complaints by the neighbours of Antilla who also demanded that the wall be demolished.

When members of the state assembly claimed that in spite of objections raised by a deputy commissioner and other civic officials the municipal commissioner had given permission for its construction, Jadhav told the House that the state government would investigate into the complaints about the alleged irregularities and action would be taken against the company, if found guilty.

“The space given for parking had been reserved for the road, but after the civic body realised that the adjacent plot was not available for road widening, it was given for the parking.  The municipal corporation has levied charges for the use of the space,” Jadhav said.

He then admitted that the space allotted to Antilla for parking could have utilised for pavement.