Mumbai: All planning authorities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) must incorporate a specific condition in their development permissions that the special safety control recommendations for working at heights during highrise constructions will be strictly adhered to. Violations of the safety conditions will result in civil and criminal actions, stated a govt resolution (GR) issued by the urban development department.“Any breach of such measures or requirements in the report of the expert committee shall be held in violation of the building permission and shall entail consequences of breach of such development permission liable for all civil and criminal actions as the law would mandate,” states the GR.It further directed planning authorities to keep a special vigil on highrise constructions and ensure strict implementation of the norms set out by the expert committee. “Any breach of such compliances will result in immediate action, including the issuance of stop-work notices, as this would be paramount considering the safety of human lives,” stated the GR.The guidelines pertaining to crane operations, facade, and other installations at height were issued by an expert committee set up on the directions of the Bombay High Court in a 2023 PIL. In 2022 and 2023, there were tower crane-related incidents affecting pedestrians. On Feb 14, 2023, an accident occurred at a residential construction site where concrete blocks fell from the 42nd floor to an adjacent road, killing two pedestrians instantly. There are more than 416 building proposals in the pipeline with heights ranging from 150m to 331m. A 400m high building is also in the works, according to the expert committee report.
