Steel tycoon Sajjan Jindal's bungalow Morena House on Carmichael Road has received state government's nod to be torn down after which a residential tower will be erected in its place
Sajjan Jindal
Steel tycoon Sajjan Jindal's bungalow Morena House on Carmichael Road has received state government's nod to be torn down after which a residential tower will be erected in its place. The proposed tower will be built by Jindal's family-owned company, Windsor Residency. This will be the first such tower on Carmichael Road after almost 50 years.
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The 24-storey Usha Kiran, considered Mumbai's first skyscraper was built in Carmichael Road in the late 60s, but no highrise constructions were allowed on this stretch after the heritage regulation came into force, which is why the area is populated by a slew of old bungalows.
Morena House was home to the Belgian Consulate before it was purchased by Jindal. He purchased it in 2008 for Rs 125 crore through Windsor Residency and sold it for Rs 300 crore in 2012, but the deal fell through.
According to Economic Times, astay on the demolition was sought by a few South Mumbai residents from the Bombay High Court in 2014, the reason for which was that they claimed it was a Grade II B heritage structure.
The state government confirmed later that the building was not a heritage structure, after which permission was given for demolition.
The fact that Morena House was not a heritage structure was determined last week, after the town planning director, Pune visited the building and discovered that it didn't contain any art deco features. The municipal commissioner received a letter from the town planning department of the Mantralaya, which stated the building was not listed as a heritage structure, neither Grade II B or Grade III.
It was proposed in 2002 by the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee to list Morena House as a Grade II B heritage structure, but that never materialised. The heritage body and the BMC later confirmed this fact.
According to residents, demolition work has already commenced on the one-storey structure on Thursday.
Windsor Residency had already received permission to build a high-rise up to 8 floors from the BMC earlier.
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