MUMBAI, July 16 -- The Bombay High Court has asked the Maharashtra government to frame guidelines regarding alterations that residents can make in their flats without seeking the local authority's permission, saying it was necessary to encourage citizens to abide by the law. A division bench of justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata sought clarity on whether changes such as installing protective grills and coverings over open terraces, amalgamating or dividing areas using lightweight materials, and reallocating utility areas are permissible. The bench was hearing a petition filed by Panvel resident Ravindra Kini, who claimed that the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) was not acting on his complaints regarding unauthorised alterations made by a member of his housing society, Neel Sidhi Amarante, in Sector 9E, Kalamboli. Kini alleged that the member had erected a "permanent shade" in his balcony under the garb of renovation. The member had allegedly constructed brick walls, covered the terrace with tin sheets, and extended the bedroom by breaking the partition walls, without obtaining the necessary permission. The court also noted that several other members of the housing society had undertaken unauthorised alterations in their flats and had also covered balconies and other open spaces. The bench ordered the civic body to act against all such unauthorised alterations. "Large-scale unauthorised constructions cannot be permitted to continue merely because similar illegalities have been committed by several persons," the bench said. "The state must, therefore, consider formulating a clear regulatory framework specifying the nature of alterations that may be carried out within individual flats and buildings without formal permission from the local [planning] authority," the bench added....