SRK's Mannat renovation gets GREEN LIGHT, National Green Tribunal REJECTS plea challenging CRZ approval

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has dismissed a petition against the renovation of superstar Shah Rukh Khan's seafront home in Bandra, Mannat. Santosh Daundkar, an activist, filed the appeal, alleging that the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) had made a mistake in allowing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) consent of the renovation. At the acceptance stage, however, the tribunal dismissed the plea, concluding that the appeal had "no force."

What did the tribunal panel say?

The tribunal panel, which was led by Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and Dr. Vijay Kulkarni, stated that the planned renovation at Mannat was allowed under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 2019 since it was located on the landward side of the current road and fixed structures inside a CRZ-II region. As a result, the clearance was granted subject to the terms outlined in the contested order.

Mannat to add 2 new floors, NGT clears plan

The tribunal observed that the proposed work only involved the addition of two floors, the seventh and eighth upper residential floors, which comprised one duplex apartment with an internal staircase above the existing sixth floor.

Mannat, located at CTS (city title survey) 859, 860, 861, and 862 of Bandra H-West ward, already existed before the CRZ permission was granted. This would make the current low-rise structure 37.54 meters tall, with two basement levels, a ground floor, and eight above residential storeys.

The clearance further noted that the project proponent (PP) had received plan permission from the BMC on November 7, 2024, and that the plot is in a residential zone and is not set aside for any public use according to the Development Plan (DP 2034).

No insightful points in the petition

The bench further noted that Daundkar's lawyer just restated previous arguments when asked to point out procedural flaws in the clearance procedure, failing to offer insightful answers or produce the CRZ NOC dated June 23, 2008. The panel also asked why there had been no challenge to this 2008 NOC at the pertinent period.