New cluster plan to reshape Mumbai

Mumbai: To cope with the ever-expanding urban sprawl in and around the city, the state government has proposed a brand new makeover plan. Under the new plan, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and government town planners will carve out medium andlargesized neighbourhoods from a pocket,whichcouldthen be redeveloped using the cluster redevelopment approach. 

    The state urban development (UD) department has already proposed an amendment in norms to allow civic officials and government town planners to undertake the exercise of surveying and defining the clusters. The proposal could soon be broughtbeforethestatecabinet,officialssaid. 
    In line with the state's cluster redevelopment policy, the minimum area of a cluster will be 1 acre. It could contain variouscategoriesof buildings—dilapidated, unauthorized, legal, slums etc. A cluster will be defined formally following an exercise of suggestions and objectionsfrom those affected. 
    The redevelopment of a cluster could either be taken up by a public agency or a private developer, who is proposed to be appointed through a transparent process. A floor space index (FSI) of 4willbe providedfor their integrateddevelopment. 
    Incentives of individual buildingsor structureswithin a cluster will vary depending on normsfor eachcategory. Development control regulations will also have to be amendedbeforeenforcing the plan,sourcessaid. 
    The new plan is also proposed to be enforced in other cities in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The ever-expanding urban sprawl had led to a spate of illegal buildingsin these parts. 
    In light of the Mumbra building collapse tragedy in April this year, which claimed 74 lives, CM Prithviraj Chavan had announced a plan to extend the cluster redevelopment modeltoillegal buildingstoo. 
    Existing provisions of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, 1966, lack adequate provisions for dealing with such unauthorized structures, sourcessaid.
    The illegal buildings, however, won't be provided any incentiveFSIfor redevelopment, sources said. Residents of such buildings will also have to bear the cost of construction, a senior official added. 
URBAN CHAOS 
Close to 5 lakh families reside in over 30,000 buildings in Mumbai. A sizeable number of these are in derelict condition 
About 1.5 million families reside in densely populated slums. Many of these do not even provide basic facilities 
Hardly 10% of the city's development plan for 1991-2013 has been implemented