Decision on MIAL will boost commercial devpt: Officials

Mumbai: The Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) has pointed out that vertical expansion is limited due to the building height restrictions of the Airports Authority of India and that these restrictions has forced it to plan the buildings horizontally in most of the proposals that it submitted for approval to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is the Special Planning Authority for the airport.“This results in deficiencies in marginal open spaces on individual plots for which various condonations are requested,” said the notification by the urban development department.Marginal open spaces around every plot are mandatory to allow entry and exit of fire engines. But often relaxation is granted by the municipal commissioner if “demonstrable hardship” is proved in providing these open spaces. For this, a developer must pay a premium based on the Ready Reckoner rate of the area. The department accepted the MIAL proposal to withdraw the condition for condonation, thus allowing the developer deficiency in open spaces without charging premium.The state has also allowed a floor space index (FSI) of 5 on plots within the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport Notified Area (CSMIANA). FSI defines how much can be built on a plot. For instance, on a 10,000sqm plot, a developer can build 50,000sqm with FSI 5.Of the 5 FSI, 4 FSI is considered as Global FSI, on which no premium is charged. Premium is charged only for the additional 1 FSI.In September, MIAL in a letter to the urban development department sought a waiver of premium (100% of the Ready Reckoner rate of the plot), pointing out that the additional 1 FSI, which it is allowed to use, is its own FSI moved from one plot to another within the notified area and, hence, it should not be asked to pay a premium.Government officials said the concession will help boost much-required commercial development in the city although the state may lose revenue. “The developments in the CSMIANA will be integrated with the metro infrastructure and provide ease to millions of airport users. Most of the developments envisaged in the area are hospitality-centric, and therefore, incoming tourists need not travel far away for hotels or conventions and this will help decongest the city roads,” said Nikhil Jadhav, a regulator consultant.