BMC chief to take final call on proposed floating hotel: HC

Civic chief will first have to decide if he has exclusive jurisdiction to decide on the petitioner’s application to launch ‘floatel’ two nautical miles off Mumbai coast

First India Bureau

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has directed the Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to decide within eight weeks whether or not to allow the construction of a floating hotel, or “floatel”, proposed two nautical miles away from the shoreline in south Mumbai.

A division bench of Justices Sunil Shukre and MW Chandwani was hearing a petition filed by Rashmi Developments Pvt. Ltd challenging a May 2017 decision taken by a threemember committee refusing permission for the project, noting it was part of the Marine Drive promenade. In its judgment of January 23, which was made available recently, the bench quashed the committee’s decision, noting that , prima facie, the floating hotel and its related infrastructure was not part of the Marine Drive.

It said the parking area of the proposed project comprising about 5,000 square metres belongs to the Mumbai Metropolitan

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Thane: A 25-year-old man allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the railing of a skywalk in Thane district on Tuesday, police said. The deceased has been identified as Vitthal Misal, a native of Beed. “The man had called his family to inform them of the suicide plan,” Pradip Patil, inspector of the MFC police station said. He was dead by the time police reached the spot, he said. A suicide note was recovered from the deceased’s possession, in which he said no one should be held responsible for his death.

MAN HELD FOR MOTORCYCLE

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Thane: A 23-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly stealing motorcycles in Kashimira area of Thane district, police said on Tuesday. Aviraj Kurhade, Senior Inspector said that the police had received several complaints about motorcycle thefts. Acting on a tip-off, the police nabbed the accused, involved in nine cases of motorcycle thefts in the limits of Kashimira, Navghar, Mira Road, DN Nagar and Tulinj police stations, he said. The police also recovered 10 motorcycles worth Rs4.2 lakh from him, he added.