The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has directed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport authorities to either produce approval for the water connection serving a mosque near Terminal 2 or disconnect the supply within seven days, escalating an ongoing dispute over the structure’s legality.
In a notice addressed to the airport’s executive engineer, the BMC said it had no record of a legal water connection for the mosque. The civic body asked the airport authorities to submit a copy of the approval granted by the competent authority or disconnect the water line. It warned that further action could follow under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act if the direction was not complied with.
The notice follows action by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, which declared the religious structure illegal and placed responsibility for it on Mumbai International Airport Limited, the airport operator. The MMRDA has said that the Interim Development Plan for the airport area contains no provision for a public place of worship at the site.
According to the reported MMRDA position, the mosque has been asked to vacate the premises within four weeks, failing which the structure may be demolished. The religious structure is located near the taxi stand of the international terminal, according to a complaint cited in the report.
The matter was brought into focus after Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Member of Parliament Kirit Somaiya sought the mosque’s removal on September 8. In his complaint, Somaiya alleged that the structure was operating without valid permission. After the MMRDA’s action, he said he would approach Mumbai Police to seek a demolition drive.
The BMC’s notice concerns the municipal water connection rather than directly ordering removal of the structure. It gives the airport authorities seven days to establish that the connection was approved or to disconnect the supply. The MMRDA’s separate notice concerns the structure’s occupation of the airport-area premises and its compliance with the applicable development plan.
The actions place the airport operator at the centre of enforcement by two public authorities. The MMRDA has said the structure’s presence is inconsistent with the airport area’s Interim Development Plan, while the BMC has questioned whether the associated water connection was authorised. The next step identified by the civic body is submission of approval documents or disconnection of the water line within the seven-day period.
