DP for residential, commercial development at Madh Island

MUMBAI: The tranquil weekend getaway of Madh Island could see sea changes to its character, if the proposed development plan (DP) for the city goes through.

The draft DP has marked large swathes of what are currently nodevelopment zones (NDZ) in Madh and nearby areas like Erangal and Patil Wadi, as residentia-lcommercial zones. This means large parts of the island have been thrown open to be developed as residential and commercial properties, with an FSI allocation of 2 for the entire stretch. This is a massive rise from the existing FSI of 0.2 that the area as an NDZ, was eligible to use.

The changes to FSI and the marking of Madh as a residential- commercial zone will lead to the construction of high-ris- es that will eat up fields and wetlands in what was one of the few areas in the city with low-rise development. Further, the proposed coastal road will make the area more accessible, and to cater to this increased footfall, there will be more construction.

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HT PHOTO: VIDYA SUBRAMANIAN The changes to FSI at Madh Island will lead to the construction of high-rises that will eat up fields and wetlands.