The Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry today welcomed the new FSI guidelines proposed by Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Commissioner Subodh Kumar as a consumer friendly move that will lead to transparency in clearing building plans.
The new guidelines will help speed up process of clearances that will ultimately reduce the scope for corruption as well as individual interpretation, MCHI President Paras Gundecha said.
Gundecha, however, expressed reservations on the high 100% premium proposed to be charged to developers for fire check areas, refuge floors, service floors, AC plant room and so on as these are mandatory spaces.
“This premium is too high. The State Government and the Municipal Corporation should take a pragmatic and rational view,” he said and recalled that MCHI had already recommended a 40% premium on FSI and enclosable balconies to be free of premium.
“Our earnest request to the authorities, therefore, is to have a rethinking on the issue so that all concerned can find a solution that is acceptable to all and the same time results in increasing the revenue of the civic body without impacting the prices and burdening the consumer” he said.
MCHI has, therefore, also drawn the Government’s attention to the long pending proposal on increasing the FSI in suburbs by .33 which could result in increasing the revenue to the government. The Government should take immediate steps to implement the proposal which would help in further augmenting the BMC revenues by at least Rs 5,000 crores a year, Gundecha said.
On the proposal to impose levy on parking, MCHI suggested that BMC and the Government should take a practical view since the parking needs would only increase in times to come. As it is the provisions for parking allowed under current DC regulations are inadequate. Developers, on the contrary, should be encouraged to earmark additional parking spaces keeping mind the future needs of the particular housing society or building. “Else, we will have a situation where increasing number of cars will block the lanes and by-lanes,” he said.
Mr Gundecha suggested setting up of a dedicated City Infrastructure Fund and all the collections from real estate developments, including the premium on .33 FSI should be used exclusively for up-gradation of infrastructure for Mumbai city.” he said.
