Gaekwads defy HC stay on Nazarbaug demolition

Officials from the Town Development Department of the VMC said they had “pasted” the court notice on the walls of the palace because the contractor appointed by Gaekwads on duty “refused to accept the notice”. Town Development Officer Alpesh Majumdar said, “We sent our officers to the site with the orders, but the party has refused to accept the notice.” Majumdar, however, added that the Municipal Commissioner was the competent authority to seek the assistance of the city police to ensure that the disobeying party complied with court orders.

Sanjeev Joshi of INTACH, who rushed to Nazarbaug, said, “The office of the Gaekwads at Indumati and their lawyer refused to take the orders of the HC, that were to be hand delivered to expedite the case for the next hearing on Tuesday. So, we are now sending the orders by registered post as well to Pratapsinh. The structure has been brought down much more since yesterday in a clear violation of court orders.”

The Second Revised General Development Control Regulations of 2012 of the VMC provide for a Heritage Conservation Committee, to be appointed by the government , to oversee the overall upkeep, preservation and development of “to-be notified” heritage buildings. However, the Committee has not been formed till date. VMC has been caught napping in cases of heritage properties lying in a state of neglect across the city.

Pratapsinh did not answer calls and text messages to explain his rebuttal of the HC stay. Municipal Commissioner Manish Bharadwaj also did not respond to messages sent by The Indian Express to clarify why the VMC had not sought any help from the police to comply with the court order. A family aide of Pratapsinh, however, said, “We have another order in our favour and the palace will continue to be demolished. That is certain.”