Responding to a letter sent by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) in July last year, the Urban Development department, on January 14, told them to restore the Esplanade Mansion and recover the costs from the landlord. In view of the high costs involved in restoration, the department has also told MHADA to consider acquiring the property if the landlord fails to pay.

In the last letter sent in June, the Urban Development (UD) department had asked MHADA to get another structural report from experts, who work on heritage structures, and restore Esplanade Mansion as per heritage standards. The MHADA had then written to UD in July stating that it doesn't have the funds to restore the structure and asked the state government to sanction special funds to the tune of Rs 30 crore.