Sena holds back Aarey car-shed from DP
After seeking extentsion of Mumbai’s Development Plan (DP) 2014-34 four times, the BMC has finally approved the plan for the next 20 years.
A total of 108 corporators deliberated on the plan past midnight on Monday and finally at 1.30 am, they passed it with suggestions for 269 amendments. The DP is now submitted to the state government for its approval.
Interestingly, the controversial Aarey Metro car-shed was hold back by ruling Shiv Sena taking help of Congress and MNS.
On Monday Sena tabled the new DP proposal without the Aarey car-shed but BJP sought division over it. Sena then took help of Congress and MNS and managed to bag 117 votes against the car-shed. BJP assumed that it has support of SP and NCP corporators on the issue but only managed to garner 81 votes. As many as five corporators of BJP were unavailable during voting. Only two corporators each from NCP and SP voted.
Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said implementation of the DP will create 80-lakh employment opportunities and will fulfil the dream of affordable housing for Mumbaikars.
“Salt pan lands were earlier in No Development Zone (NDZ) due to which construction was not possible. However, the new reservation plan will pave way for construction on the land. Lower income groups can buy a house in Mumbai city in the price range of Rs. 13 lakh to Rs 14 lakh,” he claimed.
He further said as per the new DP, the open spaces will increase four-fold for every Mumbaikar.
Though 269 amendments have been suggested by the corporators on the last day of DP discussion, citizens and NGOs are at a loss what all amendments have been considered by the civic body.
Shitaram Shelke, member of Hamara Shahar Mumbai Abhiyan, said they have given around 3,000 suggestions to the BMC but they are unware about the final DP which is going to be sent to the state government.
After going through the DP, the NGO will approach the state government during invitation for suggestions and objections from citizens, he said.
Citizens had also given 80,000 suggestions and objections to BMC.
Ravi Nair, a resident of Chimat Pada in Andheri (East) said they too had demanded non-reservation of the Recreational Ground (RG) tag partially for Chimat Pada, which is a residential area and has around 4,000 houses since the past 40 years.
“I am residing in Chimat Pada since last 40 years. The BMC has just copy-pasted the demarcation for this land as RG which was earlier also reserved in teh 1991 DP. Since 1970, we are residing here and it is not an encroached land. The BMC also failed to take back the land in last 26 years and did not provide any other accommodation to the residents. Hence, as per the Mumbai Municipal Act, BMC has to act within 10 years on the reservation and if it does not abide by the Act, then eventually the civic body does not have any right to claim the plot as RG.”