60 realty projects in Mumbai seek civic body nod in 50 days

On March 17, the Supreme Court lifted the stay on new constructions for six months and allowed BMC to issue permissions for building projects.

After the Supreme Court (SC) lifted the ban on construction of new buildings in Mumbai, proposals for more than 60 realty projects have received pre-clearances from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) within 50 days.

Builders are required to submit a proper plan for the disposal of construction debris and the debris disposal sites have to be approved by BMC. (Representational photo)

In March 2016, a stay was imposed upon new constructions in Mumbai by the Bombay high court, which expressed concerns that city’s landfills were getting saturated. Redevelopment of MHADA, cessed, old and dilapidated buildings, slum redevelopments as well as construction of hospital and educational institutes were excluded from the ban. Architect Sirish Sukhatme said, “More than 800 redevelopment projects in the suburbs were stuck because of the ban.”

On March 17, the Supreme Court lifted the stay on new constructions for six months and allowed BMC to issue permissions for building projects. One of the major conditions was that the civic body must ensure construction debris does not reach dumping grounds in Deonar and Mulund.

Builders are now required to submit a proper plan for the disposal of construction debris and the debris disposal sites have to be approved by BMC. Sukhatme said, “Before receiving the Intimation of Disapproval (IOD), the developer has to get a clearance of debris disposal by attaching the No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the owner of dumping site.”

Commenting on the projects that have got clearances after the stay was lifted, municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta said, “These proposals have been given speedy remarks through our online portal considering the fulfillment of conditions. Proposals of around 60 projects have been received so far.”

Another senior civic official said, “We have linked online remarks for approval of debris disposal, which is mandated for proceeding with construction permits. This makes it easy for getting approvals for construction permits within very less time.”

However, Sukhatme pointed out that the process of getting approval is difficult. “One of the major issues with these clearances is the hefty bank guarantee. For disposing of minimal construction waste, the applicant has to pay between Rs5-50 lakh as bank guarantee depending on the plot size,” he said. Officials expect the number of proposals for realty projects will increase significantly after the state government issues the final version of the Development Plan 2034.