Real estate
A labourer stacks concrete blocks on his head at the construction site of a residential complex on the outskirts of Kolkata in this November 2, 2015 file photo. India's infrastructure output grew at its fastest pace in four months to 3.2 percent in September from a year ago, mainly driven by higher production of electricity and fertilisers, government data showed on Monday. REUTERS/Rupak De Chowdhuri

The Supreme Court has suspended the ban on construction in Mumbai till its next hearing on October 23, said the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) in a statement on Wednesday.

After the court's six-month relief from the ban ended on September 15, the BMC had stopped issuing new construction permits in the city.

In 2016, the Bombay High Court had banned new constructions in India's financial capital owing to tonnes of debris being illegally dumped in the city's landfills. The Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry filed a Special Leave Petition against the High Court order in the SC.

This year, in March, a Division Bench of the apex court passed a temporary relief order, in which the ban was removed for six months. The order was given on the condition that debris would no longer be dumped in the landfills in Deonar or Mulund. During the relief period, the BMC issued show cause notices to 30 of the 160 construction sites that did not properly dispose of debris.

The court also said that construction permits should clearly mention that construction wastes would be disposed of in a specified manner. The court had directed the municipal corporation to submit a compliance report when the six-month relief period ended on September 15.

The extension on Bombay High Court's stay order till October 23 came as a welcome relief for the housing industry in the city, Rajesh Prajapati, chairman, public relations committee, CREDAI-MCHI, said.

"Though some more time would have been preferred, we at CREDAI-MCHI will try our best to ensure these issues are resolved well during this intervening period," Prajapati told The Hindu.

The association of developers has to come up with new dumping sites in the city after 11 of the 15 dumping sites identified by the municipal corporation were filled to capacity.

The BMC, during the six-month relief period, received 319 applications for new construction permits, of which 222 have been approved. It also issued 229 Occupation Certificates, signifying growth in real estate sector after the construction ban was lifted.