Pump ran for 2 years sans OC, BMC still 'verifying documents'

The petrol pump on which the hoarding crashed Monday had been in operation for two years without an occupation certificate (OC), shows prima facie evidence from BMC. Authorities said the pump, which is on govt land, had been issued a letter of intent on July 2022 and the process of verification of other documents is still underway.
"In the case of govt land, the building proposal department's office in Powai issues a letter of approval first and later, an OC is granted.However, in the petrol pump's case, it appears the OC was not issued," said an official from N ward office.
During a visit to the crash site on Thursday, BMC chief Bhushan Gagrani said the petrol pump had been granted a provisional licence and it is being ascertained if the operator (BPCL) had other permissions in place. "All the documents regarding the operations of the pump have been sought from BPCL. These will be forwarded to the civic body's legal department and we will then decide the course of action," said a ward official.