The central government has approached the Bombay High Court against the construction of a high-rise building within 100 metres of INS Trata, a naval establishment in Worli, alleging that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation granted permission for the project without the Navy’s mandatory no-objection certificate.
The petition concerns the redevelopment of Vrindavan Cooperative Housing Society on Sasmira Road. According to the central government’s case, the proposed building could allow people to observe sensitive activity at INS Trata, which houses military vehicles, newly acquired ammunition and other equipment linked to naval operations.
The petition alleges that the municipal corporation permitted the construction in 2023 despite repeated objections from the Western Naval Command. The Centre has claimed that the BMC knowingly violated Defence Ministry guidelines requiring a no-objection clearance for construction within 100 metres of a defence establishment.
The earlier building on the society’s plot consisted of a ground floor and four upper floors. The redevelopment proposal was initially approved by the Western Naval Command in 2007, according to the petition. However, the society submitted a revised plan in 2018 for a building with a height of 148.43 metres. The Navy rejected that proposal.
The BMC subsequently sent proposals to the Navy again in 2018, 2019 and 2022. The petition states that the proposed height increased in each version and that the Navy continued to oppose the construction. Despite the objections, the civic body allegedly granted unilateral permission for the project in 2023 without obtaining the Navy’s no-objection certificate.
The central government has argued that the location and height of the proposed building could enable surveillance of movements at INS Trata. The petition cites security concerns for the naval establishment and its personnel, stating that the confidentiality of movement and activity at the facility is important for national security.
The Centre has asked the High Court to cancel the permission granted by the BMC and order the demolition of construction already carried out. It has also sought an interim stay on further work at the site until the petition is decided.
The case places Mumbai’s redevelopment system at the intersection of municipal building approvals, defence-security restrictions and the redevelopment rights of cooperative housing societies. The immediate dispute, however, remains before the High Court, which has been asked to examine whether the civic permission could be granted without the Navy’s clearance and whether construction should be halted pending a final decision.
