Mumbai: Government plans SRA buildings on 65% of SDZ, not 80%

MUMBAI: Around seven months after scrapping the plan for affordable housing on mangroves and saltpans in the city and allowing only redevelopment of existing high density slums in these areas -under the name special development zones (SDZs) -govt has now proposed restricting construction on such plots to 65%, from 80% planned earlier. The remaining area is to be given to BMC for open space amenities.
While it sounds like good news for Mumbai, citizens' activists cautioned that any construction on saltpan and mangrove land would only spell a disaster for the city.

The state urban development dept issued a corrigendum last month inviting objections/suggestions to the proposed modification to regulation 33(8), dealing with construction of affordable housing in SDZs, of Development Control and Promotion Regulations 2034 (DCPR 2034)-the city's master plan-and regulation 34 of DCPR 2034, which deals with conditions for land use. This will apply to plots that have 350-499 tenements per hectare.
An activist said the corrigendum sought to "beguile people". "SDZs are saltpan and mangrove lands. They were earlier classified as no-development zones and later, the nomenclature was changed to SDZs. The Wayanad landslides just happened, and govt is trying to pull the wool over people's eyes. An eco-sensitive area is being converted into a reserved public open space. Mumbai has seen flooding, and if these lands, which are our environmental safeguards, are destroyed, we'll have no resources to fight climate catastrophes."
The activist pointed out that reserved public open spaces are recreation grounds, playgrounds, gardens and parks, which can be developed. However, while the city needs more open spaces, these cannot be developed on SDZ lands as they are eco-sensitive areas, said the activist.
Architect and activist Nitin Killawala said slums are dispersed throughout Mumbai and there is enough land to accommodate slums from these eco-sensitive areas. "Let govt truthfully develop within already notified slums, rather than adding more land for slum redevelopment," he said.
Considering the closure of industries and conversion of use for residential purposes, in another notification for all of Maharashtra, excluding Mumbai, govt has invited objections/suggestions to a proposal to allow affordable housing on such plots and one-fourth of the tenements built to be sold as service quarters. These service quarters are to be sold to buyers of flats in the sale component of the same project. Officials said buyers can use them for their household staff such as domestic help and drivers. The proposal said the affordable housing segment is also to be utilised to rehabilitate factory workers, staff and tenants on the erstwhile industrial plot, and the remaining units be offered to Mhada for allotment.