Costly housing, transport halt Navi Mumbais growth….Chittaranjan Tembhekar
White Paper Paints Bleak Picture For Township, Suggests Alternatives
White Paper Paints Bleak Picture For Township, Suggests Alternatives
Navi Mumbai is not beaming in its 40th year. Lack of affordable housing, poor transport, growing slum population and encroachment, pollution, and slow infrastructure development are hampering its prospects.
The state governments recent white paper on the socio-economic progress of Navi Mumbai says: Lack of efficient, dependable and speedy public transport linking Mumbai and other cities could be a major impediment in the development of Navi Mumbai.
The white paper, Repositioning Navi Mumbai as an Economic Growth Engine, has been prepared by experts constituted by the Maharashtra Economic Development Council (MEDC). It shows that in the last 15 years, affordable housing stock took a dip against costly private housing stock. Today, while there are 122,000 Cidco-constructed houses, there are 218,000 houses which were developed by the private sector. Had there been enough lowcost housing by Cidco, real estate prices in the city would have been sufficiently under control for (the benefit of) the common man, a senior town planner said. Since Cidco is not taking up enough housing schemes, a nexus of private builders and politicians is exploiting the people. Some people have given up the idea of settling in Navi Mumbai due to skyrocketing real estate prices.
The paper says the main objective behind creating Navi Mumbai was to absorb Mumbais immigrants and also to decongest the state capital. But public transport, whether the railways or buses, and housing facilities have not kept pace with demand, the town planner said.
The paper says: Extremely lengthy land acquisition procedure and a time-consuming legal framework, and a lack of initiative to involve local village populationswhich has lead to disputes and agitations regarding compensationhave caused delays, cost overruns and social strife.
The solution to Navi Mumbais woes, the paper suggests, lies in a long-term, comprehensive strategy to achieve affordable housing, speedy transport modes like the Nhava-Sewri trans-harbour link, and the development of the proposed airport, the metro rail, and of water and bus transport.
DRAWBACKS
* Navi Mumbai is the 30th most critically polluted industrial zone in the country
* Navi Mumbai is the 30th most critically polluted industrial zone in the country
* Many of its industries deal with hazardous chemicals like ammonia, sulphur and nitrous oxide, responsible for air pollution
* It lacks efficient, dependable and speedy public transport
* It lacks affordable housing, leading to a proliferation of slums and encroachments on public land. It also lacks affordable rental housing for migrants
* It is vulnerable to the negative effects and pressures of rapid economic growth
* It suffers due to a lack of coordination among government bodies when it comes to planning
OPPORTUNITIES
* Economic growth in the fields of logistics, advance health services, higher education, film and media, tourism and SEZs
* Economic growth in the fields of logistics, advance health services, higher education, film and media, tourism and SEZs
* Proposed international airport, SEZ, Nhava-Sewri sea link, Ghansoli-Kanjurmarg sea link, metro rail, central park and golf course
* Expansion in urban planning
* Evolution of effective infrastructure management and planning tools
* Setting up an infrastructure research and planning university
* Waterfront, mangrove and forest resources development with emphasis on environmental education as well as recreation
FOUR DECADES OF A SATELLITE TOWN
1971-1980
– CIDCO set up, Vashi creek bridge opened
– CIDCO set up, Vashi creek bridge opened
– Development starts in Vashi, CBD-Belapur and New Panvel
– 44 units set up at TTC industrial area generating 15,732 jobs Nodal population reaches 16,000 by decade-end
– Fund paucity hampers growth
1981-1990
– Intensive development occurs in major nodes like Vashi, CBD Belapur, New Panvel, Nerul, Airoli, Sanpada, Koparkhairane, and Kalamboli
– Bus transport (BEST and ST) and telecom network established
– APMC markets commissioned in Vashi, steel market in Kalamboli
– Commercial complexes built at Vashi and CBD Belapur railway stations
– Offices developed in CBD Belapur
– JNPT commissioned at decadeend
– 72,658 houses constructed
– Industrial jobs increase by 4% per annum, taking employment in Navi Mumbai to 175,000
– Nodal population reaches 209,676
1991-2000
– Mankurd-Vashi-Nerul-Belapur-Panvel commuter links established
– Vashi-Gateway hovercraft service started, but later stopped
– 2.0 million sq mt commercial space added in Vashi, CBD Belapur, Sanpada, Jui Nagar and Nerul
– IT parks started at Vashi and CBD Belapur railway commercial complexes
– NRI housing complex commissioned
– Airoli bridge linking Navi Mumbai and Mulund commissioned
– Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation established
– 700 industrial units closed. Employment declines
2001-2011
– Population reaches 1.1 million
– Employment reaches 510,000
– IT park in Vashi and MIDC Mahape brings growth revolution
– 550 hectares at TTC MIDC converted for ITITES use
– Knowledge city and biotech park replace old industries
– Thane-Vashi commuter railway service starts
– SEZ and airport projects put on fast track
– Demand increases for residential and commercial spaces
– Housing stock increases by 103,201
* Area | 344 sq km
* Population | 2 million, projected at 4 million after 15 years
* Slum population | 20%
* Net District Domestic Product | Rs 150 billion