BMC razes portions of bar that served alcohol to BMW hit-and-run accused

“The kitchen on the ground floor, the loft along with an elevated dining space were constructed illegally. The roof of the restaurant was also entirely covered with an iron shed which was not safe. All these structures have been demolished and the total space that was recovered was around 3,500 square feet,” said the BMC official.

The BMC’s move comes a day after the state’s excise department suspended the licence and the collector’s office sealed the premises of this bar.

Civic officials from BMC’s K/West (KW) ward office said that on Tuesday evening, an inspection was carried out by the authorities for checking any illegal alteration of the structure.

“We have initiated a drive to identify and demolish all illegal structures in the K/W ward. Our move will be continuous and will not stay confined to demolishing only one structure,” the official said.

Civic officials highlighted that the action is being taken under section 351 of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act which empowers the authorities to raze any structure that has been constructed without permission.

The BMC had deployed a JCB and a team of 20 civic officials along with police personnel at the spot during the demolition drive. The civic officials said that the establishment was operational from 2022.

Earlier on Tuesday, the state’s excise department had sent a notice to the bar stating that the establishment was serving and selling liquor to non-permitted drinkers in a non-permitted restaurant zone, among others.