10 June,2026 04:22 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
According to civic officials, the hotels had expanded their service areas by erecting unauthorised coverings. Representational Pic
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday launched a crackdown on hotels in Andheri area of suburban Mumbai which had allegedly encroached upon mandatory open spaces by constructing unauthorised extensions in service areas of the premises, civic officials said.
An official statement said, "Acting on the directives of Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr Ashwini Joshi, the K-West Ward Office carried out a joint enforcement drive against four hotels in Andheri West that had allegedly covered compulsory open spaces (COS) to expand their operations."
The action was undertaken on June 9 along Veera Desai Road and Off New Link Road, where civic teams demolished unauthorised structures at Whats Your Bahana, Trove 9, Juliet, and Yazu. Materials used in the illegal extensions were also seized during the operation.
The drive was conducted under the guidance of Deputy Commissioner (Zone 4) Bhagyashree Kapse and led by Assistant Commissioner of K-West Ward Chakrapani Alle. Officials from the Health Department, License Department, Mumbai Fire Brigade, and the Building and Factory Department participated in the joint operation.
During the action, civic authorities seized 24 chairs, a cooking range, a microwave oven, three coolers, an electric fryer, and two speakers from the establishments.
Around 20 personnel, including ward staff, labourers, and fire brigade officials, were deployed for the operation, with JCB machinery used to remove the illegal structures.
According to civic officials, the hotels had expanded their service areas by erecting unauthorised coverings over spaces that are required to remain open under development regulations.
Speaking on the action, Assistant Commissioner Chakrapani Alle said the unauthorised extensions had been removed and the equipment used in the encroached areas had been confiscated.
Alle added that the BMC would continue to take stringent action against illegal constructions and encroachments across Mumbai.
The action is part of a broader citywide drive initiated by the civic body to ensure compliance with building norms and prevent the misuse of mandatory open spaces by commercial establishments.
In a separate incident, a public footpath near Khar Road railway station that had allegedly been blocked for months by a hotel's private parking setup was cleared after a mid-day report exposing the encroachment, prompting residents to demand a wider probe into possible structural violations.
The stretch outside Hotel Unicontinental in Khar West, located around 100 metres from the station and just 250 metres from the BMC ward office, had allegedly remained inaccessible to pedestrians for over six months due to parked vehicles, benches, a flagpole and large plant pots placed on the footpath.
Following the report published on Saturday morning, BMC and traffic police removed the encroaching structures and towed illegally parked vehicles, restoring pedestrian access to the footpath.
Residents alleged that people who earlier questioned the hotel's parking arrangement were intimidated. In a letter to the DCP of Zone 9, Khar Citizens Collective claimed pedestrians were allegedly threatened when they requested the footpath be cleared.
