Mumbai civic body gets two more months to pass the Development Plan 2034

This means, a delayed plan for the city and two more months for Mumbai’s 227 corporators to study the plan.

An order issued by the town planning and valuation department (a copy of which is with HT) on May 19 states, “..the Director of Town Planning, Maharashtra State, Pune is of the opinion that, it is expedient to extend the period of the submission of the said republished plan under section 30 of the said act, to the government, up to and inclusive of 18.7.2017.”

Talking to HT, NR Shende said the order has been issued according to the corporation’s requirement. The order refers to the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, which states that the extended period granted by the state government to the corporation must not exceed 24 months from the plan’s published date. The revised plan was released in May 2016.

On Monday, HT had reported that Mehta had expressed his reservations over the extension in a letter to the government dated May 15. He said that it is not right (on the corporators’ part) to say that they did not get enough time to study the plan. The letter from Mehta also listed all the workshops and presentations arranged by BMC for the corporators.

It must be noted that this is the fourth extension granted to the corporation by the state in the past one year. Without a proper plan in place, there is confusion in the real estate sector. The BMC is also facing a loss in its development revenue. Earlier in May, the newly elected corporation unanimously demanded an extension stating that they need more time to study and give suggestions to Mumbai’s 20-year-blueprint. The corporation had got an extension till May 19 before this.

Vilas Nagalkar, an architect and member of the Practising Engineers, Architects and Town Planners (PEATA) said that it is not right on the corporation’s part to keep delaying the plan. He said, “Before becoming corporators, they had time as normal citizens to study the plan. Even after being elected, they have got sufficient time. Today, several projects are stuck because there is no clarity on rules.”