The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has flagged a water connection to a mosque near Mumbai airport’s Terminal 2 after its K-South ward found that the supply was not recorded in its records, prompting a request for approval documents from the airport authorities.
The civic body’s water works department inspected the site on September 16 following a complaint by BJP leader Kirit Somaiyya. The inspection found that water was being supplied through a 15-mm-diameter pipeline to a mosque located near the T2 airport taxi stand, close to the JW Marriott Hotel on IA Project Road in Andheri East.
In a letter dated September 17, the assistant engineer of the K-South ward asked the executive engineer, Terminal II, Mumbai Airport, to produce approval from the competent BMC authority for the connection within seven days. The letter stated that the connection was “not in the records” of the ward office.
The airport authorities have also been asked to disconnect the supply if it is found to be unauthorised. The BMC said it would initiate further action under the Municipal Corporation Act if the connection was not disconnected in such circumstances. The civic communication is focused specifically on the water connection and the documentation required for it.
Somaiyya’s complaint also raised separate allegations about the land and the structure. In a letter to Airports Authority of India chairman Vipan Kumar, he alleged that 5,000 sq ft of AAI land at Mumbai airport had been “fraudulently” handed over by officials of GVK/Mumbai International Airport Ltd to an employee. He further alleged that a structure measuring about 3,000 sq ft, described as a mosque, was transferred along with the land.
Somaiyya referred to a GVK/MIAL letter dated August 21, 2015, and sought an investigation and action against the officials concerned. He also demanded registration of a first information report against an official, alleging that the transfer of the land and structure was illegal.
The BMC’s inspection and letter do not establish the ownership or legal status of the land, nor do they determine whether the mosque structure itself was lawfully built or transferred. They establish that the civic authority is seeking documentary approval for the water connection before deciding on further action.
The next step is for the airport authorities to provide the requested approval documents within seven days. The BMC will then determine whether the connection is authorised and whether additional action is required under municipal law.
