Municipal leased properties in Mumbai: Improvement Committee, civic general body to give final nod to redevelopment proposals

There are over 4,000 municipal properties under the Estate Department given on lease from 30 years to 999 years.

With these changes, corporators will have the upper hand in approving any proposal for redevelopment.

Improvement Committee chairman Sadanand Parab said the changes were passed in last week’s general body meeting. “Now, the corporation will have to send all the proposals before the Improvement Committee and general body,” said Parab.

According to officials from BMC, earlier if housing societies on municipal leased properties went for redevelopment, they used to take No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Estate Department and then approach the Building Proposal department for further clearances. Now, each proposal will be sent before the Improvement Committee and General Body meeting.

The civic administration had opposed the move and asked the committee to reconsider its decision, but they rejected it.

All party corporators joined hands and passed the resolution in the civic general body meeting to record the proposal with civic administration’s objection. Earlier, corporators were not involved in the process.

In February, to boost long-pending redevelopment of small houses on its lease lands, the BMC had decided on various incentives for developers. As per the new policy, developers are offered 50 to 70 per cent additional incentives. The policy had also reduced interest rates on delay of premium payment from 18 per cent to 8-12 per cent.