Cong, NCP slam Mumbai DP 2034, BJP terms it pro-poor

The ruling BJP today welcomed the "pro-poor" Mumbai Development Plan 2034, while the opposition Congress and NCP termed it as a roadmap to disaster which they said is aimed at favouring the builders.

The Maharashtra government today unveiled the much-awaited Development Plan (DP) 2034, paving the way for the space-starved city to have more land available to build homes and commercial spaces.

"This is a pro-middle class and pro-poor DP plan. Considering the fast development of the city and implementation of various projects like the Metro rail, (expansion of) suburban railway, (development of) coastal road etc, there would have been barely any residential space left for the middle class and lower middle class," said BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari.

He said the new blueprint focuses on affordable housing.

"Attempts have been made in the DP to ensure that people need not reside in far-off suburbs and spend hours on daily commuting. This DP will ensure that space remains available for the common man even 50 years from now," he said.

Meanwhile, dismissing the DP as "builder friendly", NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said the blueprint is meant to benefit those sitting on large land banks.

"This DP is designed to increase the government's revenue without much benefit to the common man. Increasing FSI will not bring down the rates of houses, but will increase (population) density, which will put a burden on traffic and pose parking problems. In the end, the city will get choked," Malik said.

The NCP leader said 60 per cent of the city did not have sewerage lines, and questioned if there was a time-bound programme to remove various bottlenecks in the city.

When contacted, leaders of the Shiv Sena, which heads the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), refused to comment on the DP.

Criticising the plan, Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam said, "This Development Plan is a disaster plan in reality. The government is conspiring to join hands with the businessmen and real estate agents by conveniently excluding the BPT land which is spread over almost 1900 acres of land."