MUMBAI, Aug. 24 -- After the Bombay high court directed the Maharashtra government to immediately implement safety standards for under-construction high-rises across the state, the urban development department on Friday issued a notification, asking the BMC and all municipal corporations, councils and metropolitan authorities to implement the recommendations of a committee that was set up by the court in a matter going back to 2023. The Lokhandwala Residency CHS in Worli had approached the high court after an accident in that year in which two persons were killed after objects fell on them from a crane on a construction site. The committee report has several recommendations such as the appointment of a safety officer at construction sites, guidelines for crane operations, facades and other installations at night, safeguarding of adjacent areas and so on. The report mentions how Mumbai has 181 buildings above 150 metres, 47 buildings above 200 metres and 24 buildings above 250 metres. The tallest building at the time of submitting the report was Lokhandwala Minerva, which stands at 301.60 metres as per a civil aviation NOC. Another 416 buildings of heights ranging between 150-plus metres and 331 metres are under construction, and a project of 400 metres is at the proposal stage. The report lists two crane-related accidents that happened in 2022 and 2023. On February 14, 2023, concrete blocks fell from the 42nd floor onto an adjacent road, killing two pedestrians instantly. Occupants of the adjoining building had experienced similar but lesser-intensity falls of other construction material and debris from the same building during its construction over the previous two years. The fatal accident prompted the residents of the adjoining building to file a writ petition, on which the HC issued an order on March 9, 2023. Sukhraj Nahar, chief of builders' body CREDAI-MCHI said the government's decision was appropriate. "Safety is of paramount importance," he said. "There must be a safety officer at all crane sites."...