Juhu Defence Restriction Cut From 500 Metres to 100 Metres
On 3 August 2026, the Union Ministry of Defence issued a notification under Section 3 of the Works of Defence Act, 1903, reducing the restricted construction zone around the Signal Transmitting Station at Juhu from 500 metres to 100 metres. The notification supersedes S.R.O. 150, issued in 1976, which had governed construction around the station for nearly five decades. For a belt of Juhu that has effectively been frozen since before most of its current residents moved in, this is a genuinely significant unlock. But it is also being widely misread — including as a lifting of Juhu's height restrictions, which it is not. We have set out below what the notification actually does, who it helps, and what remains unchanged. What the Notification Actually Says The operative change is narrow and specific. Under the new notification: Restrictions under Section 7(c) of the Works of Defence Act, 1903 will now apply only to land situated within 100 metres from the crest of the outer parapet of the Signal Transmitting Station at Juhu. The earlier restricted zone extended to 500 metres from the station. The notification comes into force from the date of its publication in the Official Gazette . The Ministry has retained the 100-metre buffer on the stated basis that land immediately surrounding the station must remain free of buildings and other obstructions. A sketch plan of the notified area is available for inspection at the office of the Sub-Divisional Officer, Buildings and Roads, Santa Cruz, Mumbai District . In plain terms: the band of land between 100 metres and 500 metres from the station — which carried defence-imposed construction restrictions since 1976 — is now outside the notified zone. Does This Lift the Juhu Height Restriction? No — Here Is Why This is the point we want every Juhu society committee to be clear on, because the two issues are routinely confused and they have entirely different authorities, legal bases and timelines. Issue The Defence Restriction (changed 3 Aug 2026) The AAI Radar Height Restriction (ongoing) Authority Union Ministry of Defence Airports Authority of India / Ministry of Civil Aviation Legal basis Works of Defence Act, 1903 — Sections 3 and 7(c) Aviation height clearance / NOC regime Installation Signal Transmitting Station (Wireless Centre), Juhu High-frequency transmitter radar, Juhu What it controls Whether you may build in the notified zone at all How tall you may build Current status Zone reduced from 500m to 100m Unresolved. AAI's March 2026 circular moved to case-by-case assessment by a regional committee A society sitting 300 metres from the Signal Transmitting Station has had one hurdle removed. If that same society also falls within the radar-affected zone, its permissible height is still governed by the aviation regime, and a separate clearance path applies. Removing the defence restriction does not create additional FSI, additional height, or any automatic approval. The state government has separately indicated an intention to relocate the Juhu and Dahisar radar installations, with a proposed alternative site for Juhu placed before AAI's technical team. That process is not complete and we would advise treating it as an intention rather than a change in status until a formal order follows. Which Juhu Buildings Benefit From the New Notification Reporting around the notification points to roughly 200 ageing buildings, along with dense slum clusters, in the affected Juhu belt — many of them over 75 years old and in visibly poor condition, with redevelopment proposals unable to progress purely on account of the defence restriction. These are, in most cases, small-to-mid plot societies that could not attract a serious developer for a straightforward reason: no developer will underwrite acquisition, tenant rent and approval costs against a proposal that cannot legally proceed. Removing that block changes the commercial conversation entirely for buildings in the 100m–500m band. The change follows sustained advocacy from local residents and representatives, including the Juhu Wireless Affected Residents Association, Mumbai North West MP Ravindra Waikar — who raised the matter in the Lok Sabha in December 2025 — and local MLA Amit Satam. Long-time Juhu resident B.B. Lakdawala, 81, has been petitioning for a review of the restrictions for close to a decade. What Juhu Society Committees Should Do Next Establish your actual distance from the station. Not an approximation from a map app — the measurement runs from the crest of the outer parapet. The sketch plan of the notified area is available for inspection at the office of the Sub-Divisional Officer, Buildings and Roads, Santa Cruz. Check your aviation position separately. Confirm whether your plot falls within the radar-affected zone and what height clearance route applies. This is a distinct exercise from the defence question. Do not restart a stalled tender on the strength of a news report. Wait for the gazette copy and, ideally, for MCGM's building proposal office to reflect the change in practice. There is usually a lag between a central notification and its absorption into the approval workflow. Revisit old developer proposals with fresh eyes. Offers made when the restriction was live were priced against a blocked asset. If your building is now clear, the terms you were previously shown are not the terms you should now accept. Get your documentation in order. Conveyance status, property card, society registration, member list, structural audit. Societies that move first on a newly unlocked belt get the better conversations. A Note on Verification At the time of writing, the gazette notification itself was not publicly available online, and the details above are drawn from press reporting of the notification. The new notification has been reported as SRO 33(E); we have not been able to independently confirm that reference against the gazette, and we would suggest societies obtain a certified copy before acting on it. We will update this post once the gazette copy is accessible. Our View Juhu has a long-standing structural problem: some of Mumbai's most valuable land carrying some of its most tired building stock, held in that state not by market forces but by overlapping regulatory layers. This notification removes one of those layers for a defined belt. It does not remove the others. Our expectation is that the immediate effect will be visible in developer interest and in the willingness of societies in the 100m–500m band to open redevelopment discussions that had been shelved. Any repricing of the belt will follow the first two or three deals that actually clear approvals, not the notification itself. Owners should be reasonably confident about the direction, and appropriately patient about the timeline. If your society falls in or near this zone and you would like an assessment of where you now stand — on the defence restriction, on the aviation height position, and on what a realistic redevelopment proposal looks like for your plot — we would be glad to help. Frequently Asked Questions What changed for Juhu on 3 August 2026? The Union Ministry of Defence reduced the restricted construction zone around the Signal Transmitting Station at Juhu from 500 metres to 100 metres, under Section 3 of the Works of Defence Act, 1903. The notification supersedes S.R.O. 150 of 1976. Does this mean Juhu height restrictions have been lifted? No. This notification concerns the defence restricted zone, which governs whether you may build in the notified area at all. Height limits in parts of Juhu arise from a separate aviation regime linked to the high-frequency transmitter radar, administered by the Airports Authority of India. That matter remains unresolved. Which buildings in Juhu benefit? Buildings situated between 100 metres and 500 metres from the crest of the outer parapet of the Signal Transmitting Station. Reporting around the notification points to roughly 200 ageing buildings, along with slum clusters, in the affected belt. Does the notification grant extra FSI or automatic approval? No. It removes one statutory bar. Permissible FSI, height and all other approvals continue to be governed by the applicable development control regulations and the relevant clearance authorities. How can a society confirm whether it falls inside the 100-metre zone? A sketch plan of the notified area is available for inspection at the office of the Sub-Divisional Officer, Buildings and Roads, Santa Cruz, Mumbai District. The measurement runs from the crest of the outer parapet, not from the compound boundary. When does the change take effect? From the date of publication of the notification in the Official Gazette. Khojmaster Property Consultants is a MahaRERA-registered real estate advisory operating across Mumbai's western suburbs, from Bandra to Andheri. Disclaimer: This post is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Redevelopment eligibility, permissible height and approval requirements are plot-specific and depend on statutory clearances from the concerned authorities. Societies should obtain a certified copy of the gazette notification and consult their legal advisor and architect before acting.
By the Khojmaster Research Team |
