BMC accuses Kangana of illegal construction, she alleges intimidation

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday pasted a notice at Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut’s bungalow, claiming that many alterations were carried out on the premises without due permissions.

While the civic body issued a `stop-work” notice, Ranaut denied the allegations and accused the BMC of trying to “intimidate” her.

On Monday, the BMC had carried out an inspection at her bungalow in Pali Hill in suburban Bandra.

A BMC team visited the bungalow on Tuesday morning around 10 and pasted the notice as nobody there was ready to receive it, a civic official told PTI.

The notice, issued under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, highlighted that the ongoing renovation and finishing work was “beyond approved plan”.

“We have asked her to submit necessary permissions regarding the illegal construction,” said Vinayak Vispute, officer, H-West ward.

There were over a dozen illegal alterations at the bungalow, such as a “toilet being converted into office cabin” and “new toilets being constructed along side the staircase”, BMC officials said.

Other alterations listed in the notice include enclosing of a balcony and extension of the third floor.

The notice asked the actor to inform within 24 hours if she had obtained necessary approvals, and stop ongoing work.

If she failed to produce permissions within 24 hours, these alterations will be pulled down without further notice, it warned.

Reacting to the notice, Ranaut tweeted, “Because of the criticism that @mybmc received from my friends on social media, they didn”t come with a bulldozer today instead stuck a notice to stop leakage work that is going on in the office, friends I may have risked a lot but I find immense love and support from you all”.

She also responded to the notice through her lawyer Rizwan Siddiqui.

“No work is being carried out by my client (Kangana) in her premises as falsely understood by you (BMC). Therefore the Stop Work Notice issued is absolutely bad in law and appears to have been issued only to intimidate my client by misusing your dominant position,” Ranaut”s lawyer said in the letter to Executive Engineer, H/West Ward.

Ranaut would legally respond to the notice within seven days and in the meantime the BMC should not misuse its “dominant position” to cause prejudice to the actor with any “hidden agenda coupled with ulterior motives”, it said.

“My client has the right to prosecute the officers for trespassing upon her premises illegally with a criminal intent to cause injury,” the letter added.

The BMC, meanwhile, also filed a caveat before a civil court, saying that Ranaut was likely to file a suit challenging the notice, and no order should be passed in the matter without hearing the civic body.

According to BMC sources, the original plan of the bungalow was approved in 1979 and it was meant for residential use.

Ranaut”s recent remark comparing Mumbai to Pakistan- occupied-Kashmir (PoK) has drawn ire of the ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. The party also controls the BMC.