Mumbai: After being summoned, the city’s municipal chief Praveen Pardeshi appeared before the Bombay High Court on Monday afternoon informing that help has been sought from the Maharashtra government to make the civic body more powerful to act against illegal eateries in Mumbai.
The civic chief also assured the HC that the municipal body would be streamlined in order to properly assist the court.
A bench of Justices Shahrukh Kathawalla and Burgess Colabawalla had summoned Pardeshi after the BMC counsels and officers failed to assist the judges in a series of cases.
The civic chief was summoned while hearing a petition pertaining to an eatery in suburban Kandivali, which has been operating without any licence from 2016.
Having been appeared, Pardeshi said, “We are seeking the help of the state government to amend the provisions pertaining to the municipal bodies and empower us to take stringent action against the illegal eateries.”
Notably, the BMC is not yet empowered to immediately shut down or seal the eateries that continue to operate without a licence as the civic body has powers only to launch a prosecution, which goes on for years altogether.
During the course of the hearing, Pardeshi also informed the bench that the civic body has appointed an IAS official to oversee the functioning of the BMC’s legal department.
The HC has accordingly adjourned the matter for passing appropriate orders.
