Mumbai Development Plan 2034 has been approved. Cause for celebrations?
The Mumbai Development Plan-2034 got approved yesterday. Time to celebrate? Probably, if one wants to celebrate the end of three-year wait and a real estate development, as under the plan, 3,700-hectares of public and private land will be unlocked. However, what if we consider BMC's dismal record of project completion, and the fact that salt-pan land will be used?
The approval took time as the area was designated as no-development zone, but now, 2,100 hectares will be used for building 10lakh affordable homes. The document will also sketch out the pattern of how Mumbai's land will be used in forthcoming two decades. Experts expressed happiness but also warned that if Mumbai doesn't improve its infrastructure, the whole project will be a colossal failure.
The allowance of floor space index (FSI) in all the residential and commercial buildings has been increased. The BMC also said that, residents can change the interior of the homes, without causing any damage to the structure of the building. Around 12,859 hectares will also be marked as natural spaces, where nothing can be constructed, but this is subject to MoEF's prerogative.
Apart from the 2,100hectares, 330 hectares of salt pan land would also be used for this project. This is expected to draw the ire of activists as salt pan lands tend to be natural sieves for holding water during monsoon. Another cause of controversy can be a proposal to build a Metro car shed in Aarey Colony in Goregaon, as well as a zoo.
