New housing policy stresses cluster development, says Fadnavis

Announcing Maharashtra government's new housing policy today, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said it was not for the "builders' lobby but for the common man".
Regarding Mumbai, where affordable housing is an acute problem, the policy emphasises the role of redevelopment and cluster development (redevelopment of entire locality instead of individual buildings), redevelopment of Dharavi slum, transit camps, old MHADA buildings, among others.
Fadnavis rolled out the policy at a rally in suburban Ghatkopar along with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.
"If redevelopment takes place through cluster development approach, then better facilities can be created for the common man," Fadnavis said.

Because of the "intransigent" policies of Congress-NCP government, no redevelopment could take place in Mumbai in the last few years, he claimed.
"More than one crore population lives on 37 per cent of land mass in Mumbai while no construction is possible on 63 per cent of the land," he said, adding "the new policy is not meant for the builders' lobby but for the common man".

The government will trace illegal Bangladeshi immigrants who are living in Mumbai, the chief minister added.
Uddhav Thackeray said that had the previous Sena-led government (in late 1990s) continued, the common man would have got houses at affordable price. "Congress-NCP led government could not solve the issue," he said.

"Sena will not allow builders to indulge in changing names of localities (as has been done in some central Mumbai areas)...Development of any area should be done in consultation with the municipal corporation," he said.
Breaking away from the tradition of announcing major
policies in the legislature or at press conferences, the government today announced the much-awaited housing policy at a rally in Ghatkopar East, which is the constituency of Minister for Housing, Prakash Mehta.
Shiv Sena, for the first time, appeared to have put its pro-Marathi stand aside and put up hoardings in Gujarati (the area has a sizable Gujarati population) which claimed that it had fulfilled its election promises.

The Chief Minister said that redevelopment will take place where the people (residents of original buildings) live.
Referring to the redevelopment of slums on airport lands, Fadnavis said rehabilitation of some 50,000 people would be done "in situ" (on site), and the written permission of the central government has been obtained for the same.
Cluster development policy will be made applicable to Mumbai suburbs too, while redevelopment policy for Dharavi, Asia's largest slum, will be announced soon, he said.
Redevelopment of 104 Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) layouts in Mumbai, which came up in 1950-60, will be done with FSI of 4.

Elsewhere, for any reason if the FSI exceeds 3, then the builder will have to give housing stock to MHADA for the additional FSI.
For a plot of land exceeding 2,000 sq mts, FSI of 4 shall be allotted to MHADA for creating housing stock.
Under the cluster development, original inhabitants of buildings will get houses with more FSI.