An apartment block in Maharashtra is to be completely demolished following allegations that it broke environmental building codes. The law states that high rise buildings are banned so close to the coast.

Located in downtown Mumbai, the 31 storey structure was completed in 2008 under the premise that war widows and heroes were to be future residents; however Maharashtra’s chief minister, Ashok Chavan resigned in November 2010 when it immerged that the flats were instead given to top government officials, their relatives and retired army chiefs.

A deadline of three months has been given for the block to be destroyed as it breaks strict building legislation, with Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh stating that: "Ignorance of the law can never be an excuse for noncompliance."