Can experts’ panel rework rules to get city’s DP right this time : Hindustan Times

OVERHAUL FSI hike may not be reversed, but civic chief wants panel to look at ways to make housing affordable

MUMBAI: 

The panel reviewing the draft development plan, which has gone back to the drawing board for its many errors, will also rework the rules that govern development work and simplify it to make homes affordable.

Civic chief Ajoy Mehta said reworking the Development Control Regulations (DCR) will help improve the DP.

It will also help making housing affordable in the city.

The DP is a blueprint for the city’s development, while the DCR helps implement the DP.

Among the many things the draft DP 2034 was criticised for was the unprecedented hike in floor space index (FSI).

“Recasting DCR and simplifying it is something experts on the panel are working towards. We are still looking at making affordable housing a reality, and this can be made possible only through changes in the DCR,” Mehta said.

BMC sources making housing affordable is a tough job because of the premium on the FSI.

So, sources said, the panel will mainly work on reducing discretionary powers and concessions offered in the DCR for development. This will make the process simpler and more transparent.

Some other issues with the DCR included not marking heritage structure under the special development control regulations, which means these buildings would have lost their heritage tag, exposing them to development.

The DCR also reduced open spaces in residential development to 10%, against the 1991 DP that provided for 15 to 25%.

“The overhauling process is going on, the expert panel is looking for a mechanism to make affordable housing a reality. But with no changes being made to the plan to hike FSI, the panel is struggling to find a mechanism.

The civic chief has asked for unnecessary concessions to be reduced, so that a simpler DCR can be created,” said a civic official, requesting anonymity.