'UD cleared parking FSI plans in a hurry'

MUMBAI: The role of the urban development department (UDD) has come into question after it "hurriedly" approved proposals for parking FSI in central Mumbai, just days before the election code of conduct came into force in September 2009.

Last week, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) issued showcause notices to 13 residential and commercial projects in the Parel-Worli belt for starting work without the mandatory environmental clearances.

In some of these projects, work started on environment clearances taken earlier for lesser FSI. However, no clearance was taken for the expansion component.

Activists have blamed the UDD for sanctioning these projects blindly without taking into consideration the impact such large-scale construction will have on infrastructure and the environment. The parking FSI gives builders additional construction rights to set up skyscrapers as high as 60-70 storeys high. They get this incentive in exchange for utilizing a portion of their plots to build public parking towers free of cost for BMC.

"It was under highly suspicious circumstances that the urban development department called for such sensitive papers, first telephonically and then in writing, from the BMC, six days before the code of conduct came into force in September 2009," said advocate Y P Singh, whose complaint forced MPCB to issue the notices .

"The building projects that were cleared had financial implications to the tune of more than Rs 10,000 crore. The implications on the environment were also serious as parameters such as the width of Senapati Bapat Marg, schools, hospitals etc remained unaltered, thus upsetting the entire development plan," he added.

Singh said it was impossible for the government to apply its mind to such matters in such a short period. "This act was also in contravention of the Election Commission's instruction issued in 1989 and which forms part of the model code of conduct that the government should not use discretionary powers to accord state largesse three months before polls," added Singh.

However, a senior UDD official said there was no mala fide intention in clearing the proposals. "The proposals were put up before the then CM for final clearance. They had been looked into by a high-powered BMC committee and the UDD had nothing to do with them," he added.

The official said the UDD has asked Prithviraj Chavan to halt the sanctioning of any more parking FSI in the island city as it has reached saturation point. More than 23,000 public parking lots have already been cleared in the island city and there is a perception in certain sections that it has been done only to benefit a clutch of developers to take advantage of the incentive FSI. "A master plan has now been prepared to ensure that these parking lots are in close proximity to railway and metro stations. Also, a distance of 500 m from these parking towers will be declared as a no-parking zone so that people are forced to use this facility," he said.

Real estate sources said some big construction companies had paid astronomical prices to buy prime plots in the island city. "They shelled out huge money only because they were confident that the government would sanction parking FSI on their plots. Now, with the UDD recommending that it be stopped in the island city, the land valuation of these developers will go for a toss," said one of them.