Corporators slam BMC for poor implementation of development plan
Even as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is in the process of appointing consultants to revise the draft development plan (DP) of the city for the years 2014 to 2034, corporators in the BMC’s general body meeting on Thursday criticised officials for poor implementation of the current development plan. They also slammed officials for their inability to acquire thousands of plots across the city that have been reserved for various purposes in the DP. As a result of which construction by private builders have come up on those plots. Meanwhile, the high price of plots to be acquired now is draining BMC’s already finely balanced finances.
The sudden rush of purchase notices issued by landowners to the BMC has brought to light the fact that even after making reservations, the BMC has not been able to acquire land and owners of lands that are mostly encroached upon, are coming to the civic body with purchase notices worth hundreds of crores of rupees owing to sky-rocketing real estate prices in the past few years.
DP is a document based on land-use survey that reserves plots of land in the city for various purposes such as play ground, recreational ground, garden, school, hospital etc for a period of 20 years. The civic body has to acquire these lands from its owners for implementing these reservations by either compulsory acquisition under MRTP Act for vital reservations, purchase land from owners after he issues a purchase notice, get land from land owner in return of grant of TDR (transfer of development rights) to the owner or through accommodation reservation. Accommodation reservation means BMC can acquire 40 per cent of the land and let the owner implement the reservation of the remaining land. If the BMC fails to acquire this land, the reservation lapses giving the owner the right to construct upon or sell the land.
Recently, the BMC had to acquire five plots at JVPD at a cost of Rs 450 crore after the JVPD Residents Association sent purchase notices for the same. Congress corporator Rajendra Chaubey said that since most purchase notices are issued for lands that have been encroached upon, the BMC should acquire open plots of reserved land on a priority basis. “Ninety per cent of the purchase notices are for encroached lands where after acquisition, the BMC has to handle the problem of rehabilitating project-affected persons. Therefore all open plots should be acquired at the earliest.”
BJP corporator Ashish Shelar said officials from the DP department had little idea about how many plots have been acquired for public purposes in the last 20 years. However, NCP corporator Vidya Chavan said that even corporators are at fault, “The city has no place for morning walks because open spaces are being parceled out to builders. Even some of our corporators are in nexus with officials,” said Chavan. Imrpovements committee chairman and BJP corporator Manoj Kotak questioned the procedure of handling purchase notices that are pouring in at a time when the DP is set to be revised. “BMC has not been able to acquire most of the reserved plots as per the 1994-2014 DP. What is the point of revising the DP if the same flaws will continue to exist?” said Kotak.
Officials from the DP department argued that land acquisition is a very lengthy process that takes a minimum of 10 years.
However, additional municipal commissioner Manisha Mhaiskar said that plots with important reservations such as markets, RG,PG, schools, hospitals etc will be acquired on an urgent basis.