The ministry in its final order said the structure, located in Mumbai’s upmarket locality at Colaba, was uanthorised and had been built after flouting Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules.
“The unauthorised structure should be removed in its entirety and the area should be restored to its original condition,” the ministry said in its 29-page order. Several politicians, top defence personnel and bureaucrats and their relatives own flats in the high-rise building.
The Adarsh scam hit the headlines late last year indicating a collusion among the powers-that-be to bend rules for constructing the 31-storey residential complex at a site meant for a residential complex for retired defence personnel. The resultant political frenzy led to the resignation of the then Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan.
Examining the legality of the housing project from environmental angle, the ministry asked the society to remove the structure on its own within three months.
If the Adarsh Housing Society does not comply with order, the Environment Ministry will be “constrained to enforce this direction and undertake action” under relevant sections of the Environment Protection Act, the order said.
CRZ Violation
“Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society has violated the very spirit of CRZ Notification, 1991 by not even acknowledging the need for clearance under this notification...Ignorance of law can never be an excuse for non-compliance,” Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said in a statement posted on the ministry’s website.
Charging the society of “egregious” violation, Ramesh said the Ministry had three options at its disposal – “removal” of the entire structure, removal of that part of the structure in excess of the floor space index (FSI) and recommending the government to takeover the building for public use which could be determined later.