Revamp of old housing colonies still in the pipeline

More than a month after the state government sanctioned modifications in the Development Control Rules 33 (5), there has been no response from Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) colonies for redevelopment of their layouts. The modifications benefited the developers as it allowed them to pay a monetary premium for plots up to 4,000 square meters.

Confirming this, a senior official said that architects have, however, approached the housing body seeking clarity on the matter. “There seems to be uncertainty regarding the DCR 33 (5) norms considering the changes that were made in the rule. The applicants are supposedly acquiring all the important information required for the redevelopment of the colonies and then will proceed with the work.”

The state government recently sanctioned modifications in the Development Control Rules (DCR) giving a major respite to over two hundred thousand residents of 56 colonies of MHADA. The revamp of these colonies had stalled due to one of the clauses of DCR 33 (5). The clause restricted developers from bidding for the redevelopment as it demanded housing stock instead of a monetary premium.

Lack of clarity between the developers and the housing societies have been cited as a reason for zero application for redevelopment project. However, these colonies were in need of immediate revamp and had also staged a protest against the rule. After the new rule, every flat owner is entitled to get an area of 500 square feet irrespective of its earlier area.

The state government issued a Government Resolution (GR) which stated that the Floor Space Index (FSI) has been exceeded up to 4 in case of plots having area of 4000 square meter and above, whereas plots up to 4000 square metre will get FSI up to 3 by paying a monetary premium.