Stay on special nod for high-rises

The Bombay High Court, in an interim order on Thursday, stayed the implementation of 2023 guidelines by which special permission could be granted for the redevelopment of buildings with a height up to 58 metres on the Marine Drive precinct in south Mumbai.

The court questioned whether the authorities wanted to change the skyline of the area.

The petitioner association of local residents had challenged the guidelines, under which, the height of buildings along Marine Drive in the row behind the front row buildings can be raised from 24 metres to 58 metres, subject to special permission granted by the BMC Commissioner. The buildings were put into three categories based on which height restrictions were imposed.