Eye on slum revamp, BMC accepts proposals

With the aim of speeding up slum redevelopment projects, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has accepted all of Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (Mhada) proposals related to construction of permanent and temporary transit camps in the redevelopment area. This also includes construction of temporary transit camps on the area of statutory open spaces within the plot. Moreover, the area of temporary transit tenements shall be excluded from the FSI, as long as the safety of these structures is ensured.

Ajoy Mehta, municipal commissioner, said, “Whatever Mhada has sent to us in relation to the transit camps, we have ensured it has got covered in the DCR.” With the aim of speeding up cluster redevelopment of the Dharavi Notified area, the DCR published on Sunday saw a slew of measures taken especially to enable the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme under the Dharavi Redevelopment Project.

Staying true to its commitment of constructing more permanent transit camps for redevelopment of slums and old dilapidated structures, the DCR gives up to 4.0 FSI for construction of these camps on plots using additional FSI, with an FSI of 1.67 in the island city, and 1.0 in the suburbs reserved especially for transit purposes. Meanwhile, no electricity or water connections will be enabled for the rest of the plot, until the completion of these transit camps.

Transit camps will also include commercial transit spaces for displaced shops, businesses, and provisions for potters and for office spaces. Separately, an FSI of up to 4.0 is allowed for welfare centres, balwadis, and gymnasiums as provisions post the redevelopment.

The DCR chapter on Additional FSI has outlined provisions for construction of other special structures apart from cluster redevelopment. Of the provisions for plots of registered public trusts, it has enabled an additional FSI of 0.5 apart from the basic FSI for religious spaces. The municipal commissioner may also provide FSI of 4.0 for buildings of Medical and Educational Institutions, provided they are committed to special provisions such as free hospital beds for persons from below poverty line in medical institutions and government quota reservations for admissionsto educational institutions.