Forest dept, Mum civic body visit SRK's home over complaints of CRZ violations

MUMBAI: A joint team of forest department and BMC officials inspected actor Shah Rukh Khan 's bungalow, Mannat , at Bandra Bandstand , on Friday following a complaint about coastal regulation zone (CRZ) violations during renovation of the property.

The property comprises Mannat, a heritage structure, and an annex structure, a multi-storey building. As Khan and his family have shifted to a nearby place due to the renovation, the officials were met by his staff who told them they would submit all documents concerning the permissions obtained.

Pooja Dadlani, Khan's manager, said "There are no complaints. All work is going on as per guidelines."

The property is undergoing renovation, and clearances were earlier sought from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) for it. The renovation included adding two additional floors to the annexe structure.

A forest department official said, "A team carried out a site inspection as we received a complaint about renovation permissions. A report will be prepared based on findings and submitted soon."

An official, who was part of the team, said the staff present at the site told them they would submit all documents concerning the permissions obtained.

The BMC's H-West ward building and factory department and the building proposal department officials were asked to accompany the forest team for carrying out the inspection. "Our officials were accompanying the team, based on a request by the forest department. We had no other role," said a BMC official.

Activist Santosh Daundkar had earlier lodged a complaint with the BMC regarding the construction at Mannat.

Former IPS officer and lawyer Y P Singh Friday alleged the layout of Mannat comprised one main heritage building called Villa Vienna as per the heritage regulations. "The name of this building was changed to Mannat later. In 2005, an extension building of seven floors was made behind the heritage bungalow and since at that time Urban Land Ceiling Act was in force, a large apartment could not have been made. To overcome this legal hurdle, approval for 12 small independent flats was taken from the BMC by the owners namely Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri Khan. However, once the approval was obtained, all these 12 small flats, which were essentially meant for mass housing under the Act, were merged and a super luxury accommodation of a single family was constructed," said Singh.