Eyebrows have been raised at the BMC after cricket superstar Sachin Tendulkar performed a grihapravesh ceremony at his newly constructed five-storey bungalow on Perry Cross Road in Bandra (West) on Wednesday without first obtaining an occupation certificate (OC) from the civic body.
After the puja, Tendulkar reportedly expressed hope that he would be able to start living at the bungalow, which he has not yet named. Tendulkar has already moved some of his furniture into his new house. Under the law, one cannot enter a flat or building for which an occupation certificate has not been procured. An official of the building proposals department of the BMC confirmed that no OC had been issued for Tendulkar’s bungalow. “It will take at least 15 days more,” the official said, “because he has to submit a few documents.”
A senior BMC official, who did not want to be named, said, “It was wrong [on Tendulkar’s part to perform a grihapravesh] if the corporation has not certified the building fit for human habitation.”
The official said action could be initiated against Tendulkar by slapping a notice under section 350(A) of the BMC Act for occupying premises without an OC. “A person who illegally occupies a house can be prosecuted also,” the official said.
This view was corroborated by the official from the building proposals department quoted earlier. “If he starts staying in the house before obtaining an OC, it would be an illegal act. We, too, heard him announce that he would stay in the bungalow from now on. We will visit the place to check and decide our course of action.”
Anjali, Tendulkar’s wife, did not reply to DNA’s queries e-mailed two days ago.
Another civic official said how, three years ago, the BMC had fined industrialist Mukesh Ambani Rs30 lakh for beginning work on a helipad on his Sea Wind residence at Colaba without permission. “It will be interesting to see how the civic authority and the ruling Sena-BJP react to this,” he said.
Municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar was not available for comment.
