BMC to issue certificates before razing shaky bldgs

Mumbai: In a bid to persuade the residents of private societies to vacate their dilapidated buildings, ward offices will issue them a certificate of occupancy before razing such structures.      “Issuing a certificate to private societies instils a sense of security into the residents. Before razing a building, BMC officials note down the number of persons present there and their names. This, along with a picture of the building, will appear on a certificate duly signed by the assistant commissioner of the ward,” said a civic official. The system is already being followed in P(north) ward in Malad and M(east) ward in Chembur. This ensures that once a new building comes up after the demolition of the old structure, the rightful owners get their due and there is no scope of fraud.      The BMC move comes in the wake of occupants in private societies showing reluctance to vacate flats even after getting demolition notices. “Occupants of buildings on pagadi (rent) system get a rent receipt but no carpet area is mentioned there. We measure the carpet area in their presence. This is a way to ensure that they were the actual occupants of the buildings,” said D K Jain, assistant commissioner, P(north) ward. —Linah Baliga