Bilawal Bhutto’s Goa visit, spotlight on his grandfather’s legacy in Mumbai

It was on October 6, 1948, that the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) allotted a land parcel of 1,226 sq m in Mumbai’s business district, Worli, to Bhutto and this plot carries one of the last imprints of his legacy.

Along with the plot, the BMC had also allotted an old bungalow to Bhutto. The BMC charged an annual rent of Re 1 for the property and Bhutto had to pay Rs 25,343 for getting a perpetual lease on the property. Civic sources said the Bombay Town Planning Act was still in force after the colonial era, during which land parcels and properties were given on lease to owners. The period of lease was dependent on the contractual agreement and officials said the primary objective behind this was to promote housing and development in Mumbai.

However, the property has changed hands multiple times since. In 1963 the Morarji Family Trust bought it and sold it to the Lodha group and Kheni Estate Private Limited for Rs 12 crore in 2005.

Five years later, another builder who wanted to redevelop the building applied for permission to the BMC, and in return the civic body levied a Rs 84 lakh fee on the builder. However, the builder contested the fee in the Bombay High Court stating that there was no provision in the original deed between the BMC and Bhutto that would empower the civic body to impose such a heavy amount. The court ruled in favour of the builder, following which the civic body went to the Supreme Court.

However, the property now stands behind green curtains and metal barricades, indicating construction and redevelopment work, within the labyrinth of Worli, which has emerged to become one of the posh localities of Mumbai.

While local residents are still unaware about the legacy of this property, civic officials say that it was handed over for commercial use to another private leaseholder after redevelopment. It was on October 6, 1948, that the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) allotted a land parcel of 1,226 sq m in Mumbai’s business district, Worli, to Bhutto and this plot carries one of the last imprints of his legacy.

Along with the plot, the BMC had also allotted an old bungalow to Bhutto. The BMC charged an annual rent of Re 1 for the property and Bhutto had to pay Rs 25,343 for getting a perpetual lease on the property. Civic sources said the Bombay Town Planning Act was still in force after the colonial era, during which land parcels and properties were given on lease to owners. The period of lease was dependent on the contractual agreement and officials said the primary objective behind this was to promote housing and development in Mumbai.

However, the property has changed hands multiple times since. In 1963 the Morarji Family Trust bought it and sold it to the Lodha group and Kheni Estate Private Limited for Rs 12 crore in 2005.

Five years later, another builder who wanted to redevelop the building applied for permission to the BMC, and in return the civic body levied a Rs 84 lakh fee on the builder. However, the builder contested the fee in the Bombay High Court stating that there was no provision in the original deed between the BMC and Bhutto that would empower the civic body to impose such a heavy amount. The court ruled in favour of the builder, following which the civic body went to the Supreme Court.

However, the property now stands behind green curtains and metal barricades, indicating construction and redevelopment work, within the labyrinth of Worli, which has emerged to become one of the posh localities of Mumbai.

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