Mumbai: Differences over the Mumbai Development Plan (DP)-2034, which is nearing finalisation, are apparently worsening the friction between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that heads the state government and the Shiv Sena, which helms the civic body.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP has directed the Urban Development Department (UDD), which is directly under him, to consider at least 200 proposals from BJP leaders and builders for removing reservation on some lucrative plots.
The UDD has reportedly changed the reservation status sanctioned or lifted at the corporation level by the Sena.
Mr Fadnavis had declared in the legislature that the Mumbai DP would be approved before March 31. But the UDD could not meet the deadline as it received many proposals for changing reservation status on the key plots, sources say. Some BJP leaders from Mumbai and a few builders have been lobbying for the changes and the chief minister’s office has asked UDD to examine their suggestions.
The Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Palika (BMC) and the state government had taken a policy decision to keep the reservations contained in the 1991 DP that had not been utilised. The two entities decided that this would be required in order to preserve open spaces in view of the increase in population and extra floor space index (FSI) required for by the redevelopment norms. Mr Fadnavis had also declared that his government would not compromise on open spaces of the city.
BJP Mumbai chief Ashish Shelar and other leaders have demanded extra FSI for the redevelopment of buildings in the airport funnel area which can be taken into account for TDR (transfer of development rights) for redevelopment proposals in other areas.
BMC officials are against some of the proposals from the builders that UDD wants to incorporate in DP-2034. Some senior officials say this is delaying the state government approval to the DP. Fadnavis has refused to comment on the issue.
“We will protest if the state makes major changes to the plan,” Shiv Sena sources have said.
