The Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Tuesday has issued a notice to Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut for carrying out allegedly illegal extensions to her office premises in suburban Bandra.
This is being seen as a fallout of the Kangana Ranaut-Shiv Sena war. The BMC issued a notice to Kangana under Section 354(A) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act.
The actress has been ordered to stop the ongoing works inside her office premises of Manikarnika Films and provide the necessary permissions for the construction, some of which was allegedly found to be unauthorized, within 24 hours.
These include merging of two bungalows, converting a ground-floor toilet into an office cabin, converting a storeroom into a kitchen, making an unauthorised pantry in the ground floor, adding toilets near the storeroom and a parking area, illegal partitions in the first-floor living room, an illegal meeting room in the pooja room, converting a balcony into a habitable area beside a floor extension, among others.
The bungalow, which Ranaut had bought three years ago, is listed as a residential property by the BMC.
In the morning, a team of BMC officers from the H-west ward (Bandra) visited Ranaut’s office at Pali Hill in Bandra west to hand over the notice.
The staff present at the office refused to accept the notice so that BMC officers pasted the same outside her office.
“A notice has been issued to Kangana Ranaut and she has been directed to file her reply within 24 hours, after which appropriate action will be initiated in the matter,” saId H-West Assistant Municipal Commissioner Vinayak Vispute.
He added that the BMC had already issued her a notice for a different structure two years ago, and the latest notice was the first one served for the office.
The development came a day after a BMC team paid a surprise visit to her office and surveyed the premises at Bungalow No 5, Chetan Row House, Nargis Dutt Road, Bandra West.
When questioned, BMC Mayor Kishori Pednekar said that the action follows a complaint received by the civic body and had nothing to do with the ongoing controversies over the actress’ remarks against Mumbai Police, the people of Mumbai, or the state government.
“Following a complaint in the matter, we are initiating action as per the BMC laws. This is not vendetta or witch-hunt in any manner,” Pednekar told media persons.
Responding to the notice, Ranaut – who plans to return to Mumbai on Wednesday – tweeted: “Because of the criticism 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.”
Ranaut challenged the notice and secured an injunction on it, but now the BMC has indicated that after the stay is vacated, they will demolish the illegal constructions.