BMC to get Rs 70 crore from illegal nursing homes……Sharad Vyas
MUMBAI: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s drive to regularize illegal nursing homes in the city has turned into a major windfall for the financially-starved corporation.
After invoking the provisions of a recent circular in which the BMC has increased existing regularization charges by four times, the civic body is likely to generate a revenue of over Rs 70 crore by providing certificates (for change of user) to as many as 700 illegal nursing homes across Mumbai. “The commissioner has given us a seven-day deadline to issue demand letters to all illegal nursing homes. It is expected that the new premium rates could fetch the corporation about Rs 7 to 8 lakh from each owner,” said a senior civic official. On Thursday, the first day of the drive, 98 demand letters were sent to nursing homes in Goregaon, Malad, Borivli and Kandivli.
Many of the 1,500-odd healthcare centres, who had earlier this month threatened to go on a flash-strike, are located inside residential buildings and do not have a separate entry and exit. Earlier this month, doctors working at these centres has threatened to go on a flash strike. On July 30, 2010, the state issued a government resolution (GR) permitting nursing homes to operate, on the condition that they get a change of user certificate. The deadline for the renewal is March 31, 2011.
Sections 52 to 54 of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act lay down the law to penalize developers for irregular constructions and regularize unauthorized work. The civic body has the right to impose a fine on the accused to regularize work carried out beyond the approved plans. The penalty amount can range between 20% and 100% (in four categories) of the ready reckoner rate of the building. The amount is charged on a premium of 25% on the land rates of the project. Under revised rates, the illegal nursing homes will have to pay a 30% fine for “change of utility in approved buildings” and, in additional, a fine of Rs 425 per sq m for alterations, such as illegally added cabins and partitions in the nursing homes. Another Rs 50 per sq m will have to be paid for ‘lucrative use’ of the illegal portions. “Since we don’t have a exhaustive healthcare network, the BMC has no other option but to regularize these nursing homes,” an official said.
Dr Rajeev Walawalkar, president of Association of Medical Consultants ( AMC), said, “The rates are too steep for nursing homesand require further clarity from the corporation. We will meet the municipal commissioner to tell him that not many of us can afford to pay this high premium,” he said.