State to rope in pvt builders to plan housing for policepersons

If the plan is materialised, all policepersons can get housing in the next two to three years, assured chief minister Eknath Shinde

Mumbai: In order to boost housing stock for the policepersons, the state government is planning to rope in private builders and grant them an incentive floor space index (FSI) which can be used to build service quarters for the policepersons. If the plan is materialised, all policepersons can get housing in the next two to three years, assured chief minister Eknath Shinde. He was addressing the state legislature.

Shinde said that of the 2.43 lakh policepersons in the state, over 82,000 did not have their service quarters. The state government wants to ensure that at least 70% of these serving police officers and employees can get staff housing. (HT Photo)

This will be on the lines of the rental housing scheme launched by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). Shinde said that of the 2.43 lakh policepersons in the state, over 82,000 did not have their service quarters. The state government wants to ensure that at least 70% of these serving police officers and employees can get staff housing.

A series of short-term, medium-term and long-term measures have been drawn up involving a coordinated action by agencies like the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and MMRDA.

“Like the MMRDA’s rental (housing) scheme, where we gave an FSI of 4 and houses built using the FSI of 1 were given to the municipal corporations for resettling PAPs affected due to projects like the expansion of roads, nullahs and residents of dilapidated buildings, let us create a policy wherein private developers are given incentive FSI and the houses built through this extra FSI are given to the police. If this is done, all policepersons can get housing in the next two to three years. Just the police housing department cannot create a housing stock of this magnitude,” Shinde told the state legislative assembly on Thursday. He also added that the condition of police quarters in areas like Mazgaon, Naigaon, Mahim and Vartak Nagar in Thane was bad.

Shinde said that policemen who resided in the BDD chawls in Naigaon, Worli and Delisle Road would get 2,200 housing units on an ownership basis at just ₹15 lakh per flat.

“The police maintain law and order regardless of the elements... So, they must get good housing and should not worry about their families back home when they are on duty,” he added.