Municipal chief to review concessions given to developers

MUMBAI: Municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar is trying to simplify the process of buildings getting permission and will review concessions given to developers for their projects.
Civic sources said many builders seek concessions for areas in their buildings, but later misuse the space and sell it to make a profit. The civic chief, who can relax building norms laid down in the development control rules, receives dozens of files every month from builders, seeking relaxation of rules.
Sources said over the years, these powers have been misused by some commissioners to favour certain builders.The sources said that there also was pressure on some civic chiefs from higher ups in the Mantralaya or from ministers to clear such files quickly.
"The same rules must apply to all builders. There must be a level-playing field," said Kumar. "The system of approving projects needs to be made transparent. Why should so many files come to the municipal commissioner for clearance," he said.
Kumar has not cleared any file related to buildings ever since he took over as civic chief in January, which has caused heartburn among developers. However, some builders said the BMC chief had now started clearing their files.
Currently, areas such as the lobby, lift, flower beds, ducts, balconies and lily ponds are not counted in the building's floor space index (FSI).
FSI is a development tool which lays down norms on how much you can construct on a plot. Although the areas are not included in the FSI, many builders sell the space by calling it super built-up area.
Kumar said he wanted such concessions to be done away with, except in rare cases where the plot is narrow.
Architects and builders told TOI about cities like Chennai and Bangalore, where the local authorities grant minimum concessions.
In Chennai, no area of a building is free of FSI. The exception is the 5% balcony area and the lift void. "Even then, in a Chennai highrise, only one out of two balconies is given the sop," said an architect with projects there. He added that every other area is included in the FSI, the maximum of which is 3.5 in Chennai. "They take a huge deposit from builders. If you default, or if there is even a foot of an illegal protrusion, they forfeit it," he said.
In Rajkot, no area is considered free of FSI, except the staircase and lobby. In Bangalore, FSI is known as floor area ratio (FAR), which includes escalators, open balconies, the staircase and corridors. Parking space, main staircase room, lift shaft, lift wells, lift machine rooms, ventilation ducts and overhead tanks are exempted from FAR.