Maharashtra’s Plan to Regularise Unauthorised Constructions May Provide Relief
One of the major problems that the country’s financial capital, Mumbai, faces is that of illegal constructions. There is always a constant battle of sorts between the builders, residents and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the civic body of Mumbai. While builders are known to continuously flout building norms, BMC is on a constant spree to demolish these illegal structures. However, residents, who knowingly or unknowingly buy these residential units, are the ones who are stuck in the middle, with uncertainties and fears looming around their homes. A well-known incident is the ongoing problem of Campa Cola in Worli.
However, a recent plan by the Maharashtra government to regularise some of the unauthorised constructions in the city may come as a relief for several entities including builders and residents in the city. Some of the possible steps that may be taken by the government to regularise these unauthorised structures may include charging penalties to certain constructions without compromising on existing laws and using tools such as additional floor space index (FSI). The Maharashtra legislature has also started taking steps in this regard.
How government’s steps can provide relief
According to the governor of Maharashtra, in order to regularise certain illegal construction which are over and above permissible limits, the state government has made certain policy decisions, which will include compounding of unauthorised structures. By compounding buildings, developers can pay a compounding fee, a form of penalty, to the development authority in order to regularise the illegal housing units. An increase in FSI, especially applied to some present illegal structures, will allow many developers to convert some illegal units and floors in apartment buildings as legal.
To make this happen, amendments in concerned Acts have already been approved by the state’s legislature. A committee headed by the Municipal Commissioner of Greater Mumbai has also been constituted to address issues in urban areas.
This means that, with regularisation of several illegal apartment buildings in Mumbai, buildings such as Campa Cola society will be spared from demolition, which will give relief to their residents.
