Ajoy Mehta

As a part of the ‘ease of doing business’ initiative, the process of getting permissions to start new businesses, which comes under discretionary powers of the municipal commissioner, is now expected to be expedited. Civic chief Ajoy Mehta has proposed to drastically reduce his discretionary powers in the revised draft Development Plan (DP) 2034. The move is likely to benefit the real estate sector in the city.

According to civic officials, the civic chief earlier had discretionary powers of giving permissions in 35 cases in the earlier DP 1991. However, in the revised draft DP, he has decided to cut down his discretionary powers from 35 to 14, which means that in 21 cases his permission will not be required henceforth.

The discretionary powers that have been removed include to allow stilt height more than 4.2 metres for accommodating the required stack parking, puzzle parking, mechanical parking system; to allow electric substation in building premises, to allow internal staircase free of FSI, to allow society office on upper floors, to allow shopping/departmental store/nursing home in the building, etc.

“Out of 14 conditions, which will remain the civic chief’s discretionary powers, there is no change in four permissions, as they come under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planing (MRTP) Act. They include to condone the deficiency in open space, to allow admissible fungible FSI, to allow the area of staircase, staircase lobby, lift, lift lobby and to allow recreation grounds in odd shapes to be paved for manoeuvring of vehicles,” said a senior civic official.

In an attempt to improve the ‘ease of doing business’ image of the city, the BMC has already decided to do away with various rules.

Accordingly, it has already improved guidelines related to building constructions and public health department.

The guidelines related to insecticide department in the construction activities have also been simplified. Similarly, restaurants and eateries in the city will have no more grades, as the gradation system for these eating outlets has been scrapped.