New Acquisition Act will boost redevelopment: Ahir
Landlords will be forced to toe the govt line, says housing minister
In a move that could resolve the impasse surrounding thousands of old buildings in the city, the state government is planning to introduce a new law that will force stubborn landlords into signing up for redevelopment.
"The draft of the Acquisition Act is almost ready and will be introduced soon for feedback from all the stakeholders, before it is finalised," revealed Sachin Ahir, minister of state for housing, while addressing a packed gathering at the inaugural session of DNA Property Redevelopment conference-cum-exhibition that's underway at Nehru Centre, Worli.
Greedy landlords who stall redevelopment projects will be forced to toe the line and if they fail to do so, the government will take over their buildings in the larger interest of the tenants, Ahir told the 500-strong gathering.
Spelling out the state government's seriousness to prevent deliberate derailment of redevelopment projects by opportunists, Ahir said that even the tenants and residents in a minority who stall projects after majority of the residents have signed up, will be dealt with firmly.
"We will have provision under the new act to deploy a special cell of police officials to bring such parties to the table and investigate if there is any merit in their anti-redevelopment argument. If there is no good reason, then they will also have to sign up and they will be evicted under section 95-A to make way for the project," Ahir disclosed, adding that redevelopment is the need of the hour for the island city, where less than 5,000 buildings have been redeveloped in the past 30 years and as many as 15,000 buildings are in need for a transformation.
"The government can do its bit by bringing in policy changes, but it is for residents and developers to take the initiative for a change for the better," Ahir said.
Speaking on the occasion, BJP corporator Ashish Shelar said that there is a need for more clarity on the definition of old buildings in the city as well as the suburbs, so that the affected residents can qualify for proper FSI to make the project feasible. "All the agencies like UD, BMC, Mhada and MMRDA should sit together and chalk out a comprehensive roadmap for redevelopment of old buildings, instead of announcing piecemeal initiatives that don't add up to much," he said.
FSI being the buzzword with redevelopment projects, civic chief Subodh Kumar was forthright in setting the record straight over the recent amendments to the DCR. "Be it restricted FSI or unlimited FSI, at the end of the day, there is very less open land in the city and the future growth will come only through redevelopment," said Kumar, adding that the amendments in the DCR have been made to create a level playing field across the city and to encourage development in all parts of Mumbai.
Landlords will be forced to toe the govt line, says housing minister
 | |
In a move that could resolve the impasse surrounding thousands of old buildings in the city, the state government is planning to introduce a new law that will force stubborn landlords into signing up for redevelopment.
"The draft of the Acquisition Act is almost ready and will be introduced soon for feedback from all the stakeholders, before it is finalised," revealed Sachin Ahir, minister of state for housing, while addressing a packed gathering at the inaugural session of DNA Property Redevelopment conference-cum-exhibition that's underway at Nehru Centre, Worli.
Greedy landlords who stall redevelopment projects will be forced to toe the line and if they fail to do so, the government will take over their buildings in the larger interest of the tenants, Ahir told the 500-strong gathering.
Spelling out the state government's seriousness to prevent deliberate derailment of redevelopment projects by opportunists, Ahir said that even the tenants and residents in a minority who stall projects after majority of the residents have signed up, will be dealt with firmly.
"We will have provision under the new act to deploy a special cell of police officials to bring such parties to the table and investigate if there is any merit in their anti-redevelopment argument. If there is no good reason, then they will also have to sign up and they will be evicted under section 95-A to make way for the project," Ahir disclosed, adding that redevelopment is the need of the hour for the island city, where less than 5,000 buildings have been redeveloped in the past 30 years and as many as 15,000 buildings are in need for a transformation.
"The government can do its bit by bringing in policy changes, but it is for residents and developers to take the initiative for a change for the better," Ahir said.
Speaking on the occasion, BJP corporator Ashish Shelar said that there is a need for more clarity on the definition of old buildings in the city as well as the suburbs, so that the affected residents can qualify for proper FSI to make the project feasible. "All the agencies like UD, BMC, Mhada and MMRDA should sit together and chalk out a comprehensive roadmap for redevelopment of old buildings, instead of announcing piecemeal initiatives that don't add up to much," he said.
FSI being the buzzword with redevelopment projects, civic chief Subodh Kumar was forthright in setting the record straight over the recent amendments to the DCR. "Be it restricted FSI or unlimited FSI, at the end of the day, there is very less open land in the city and the future growth will come only through redevelopment," said Kumar, adding that the amendments in the DCR have been made to create a level playing field across the city and to encourage development in all parts of Mumbai.
No comments:
Post a Comment