‘NMMC hasn’t been able to come up with Development Plan’

The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC)’s efforts to qualify Navi Mumbai as a ‘smart city’ seems to have not gone down well with realty developers from the city. They have said that while the NMMC was formed back in 1991, but it has not been able to come up with a development plan (DP) in its 24 years of existence.

City and Development Corporation (Cidco) was the planning authority of Navi Mumbai before NMMC was formed. NMMC is now the development authority that makes the plan for the city and all its projects of the city are based on the development draft made by the Cidco back in 1979, but it does not have its own development plan.

Realty developers have been wondering how the NMMC is thinking of turning Navi Mumbai into a ‘smart city’ in the absence of a such a plan.

Prakash Baviskar, a Navi Mumbai-based developer, said, “The NMMC has no idea about which plot in the city is a reserved plot or which has been marked as an open space. NMMC should first plan which plot should go to municipal hospitals, gardens and municipal schools. Without having a basic thing like a development plans, on what basis the NMMC is trying to make Navi Mumbai a ‘smart city’

The NMMC, in its smart city plan, has included Wi-Fi connectivity, closed-circuit television cameras around the city, lake beautification, additional footpaths, e-toilets and beautification of nullahs in the city.

Arvind Goel, president of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI) Navi Mumbai, said, “There is no proper planning done by the NMMC and there is encroachment around the city. The NMMC is now giving floor space index (FSI) of 2.5 instead of the earlier 0.95. If they give additional FSI, they will have sewerage facilities, more footpaths and more parking space. Where do they expect all this to come from There is a lot of political intervention in the policy-making process of NMMC and it was better when it was planned and developed by the Cidco.”

FSI refers to the ratio of the extent of construction on a given plot area. The NMMC had also organised a media interaction on November 24, where it had called upon journalists to give their suggestions towards realising the smart city dream.

Some of the ideas given by mediapersons present at the event included of improving sanitation conditions, building more toilets, more hospitals and also a citizen grievance cell.

Rajesh Prajapati, another developer based in Navi Mumbai, said, “The NMMC, in the past 23 years, has not designed its own development control regulation (DCR) and it works on the DCR formed by that of the Cidco. NMMC will have to think smart to have smart cities.

However, Dinesh Waghmare, commissioner, NMMC, said, “We are working on coming out with a DP of our own and we are sure we will be ready with it in the next year. Also, we have modified the DCR of the Cidco and are working according to it, so there is no need of designing a totally new DCR.”