High Court gives go-ahead for CIDCO building projects around Taloja jail

On December 4, the state home department had come up with a Government Resolution (GR) to halt construction within 500 metres of jails. Another High Court bench had on December 12 asked the state government to stop ongoing construction of buildings located within 500 metres of Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai until its new policy to ban development around prisons is in place. Pursuant to the order, stop-work notices were issued to 13 housing projects coming up in the vicinity. These included two CIDCO projects.

“Of two projects, one comprises 24 buildings and they have already been constructed and in the other projects buildings have come up to the 14th floor,” CIDCO’s lawyer G S Hegde told the court.

Hegde had earlier informed the court there were two such projects and a revenue of Rs 929.16 crore was at stake. He also informed the court that subsequent to the government’s notification, a stop-work notice was issued by CIDCO on January 10.

“Applications inviting occupation have been floated by CIDCO on February 5 for the 24 buildings, which are meant for the high-income and middle-income groups,” he later told Newsline.

Advocate General Darius Khambata Monday informed the court that the state government is likely to take its final decision within six weeks on the recommendations submitted by a committee appointed in 2008 on the issue.

The bench clarified that the permission was only for those buildings which have already been constructed beyond the restricted height.

The order was passed in a petition filed by Ramesh Upadhyay, an accused in the Malegaon 2008 blast case. Upadhyay had raised concerns over existing and under-construction high-rises that pose a security threat to jail inmates.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com