Mumbai: BMC chief orders probe into unauthorised construction of studios at Madh-Marve

Iqbal Singh Chahal. File Pic

Mumbai civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal on Tuesday ordered a probe into the alleged unauthorised construction of studios at Madh-Marve and other areas, officials said.

These locations are famous for shooting films etc due to beaches and picturesque settings. Deputy Municipal Commissioner Harshad Kale has been named as an enquiry officer and directed to probe the role of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials and the actions to be taken by BMC besides other suggestive measures to prevent such wrongdoing.

"The BMC had received complaints regarding illegal studios in NDZ (No Development Zone) and CRZ (Coastal Regulation Zone) in Madh, Marve, Erangal, Bhati, and Malad. 49 such studios came up during 2021 and 2022 in the NDZ, CRZ areas," the probe order stated.

Recently, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kirit Somaiya alleged a "Rs 1,000 crore studio scam".

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The probe order further stated that many such studios were built on thousands of square meters without proper permissions and through fraudulent documents/ forged permission with the help of officials of the BMC and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).

The enquiry officer has been asked to probe the role of the assistant municipal commissioner, 'P North' ward, and other officers, besides the number of permissions given and the number of studies functioning in these areas.

The deputy municipal commissioner will also probe if the permissions were given only for temporary film shooting sets and whether based on such permissions, permanent studios were constructed.

Chahal also asked to probe if BMC officers in connivance with studio owners misused such temporary permissions, besides ordering to check if the studios have legal permissions and if they are located in CRZ and NDZ areas.

Madh island is a group of several quaint fishing villages and farmlands in northern Mumbai bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, and the Malad creek to the east. There are few beaches in the area. Marve beach is located in suburban Malad.

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