BMC gives pre-monsoon construction nod to 200 realty projects

One week after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started giving permissions to private real estate projects in the city for carrying out pre-monsoon construction

One week after the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) started giving permissions to private real estate projects in the city for carrying out pre-monsoon construction amid lockdown, the civic body approved more than 200 out of the total 350 applications it received.

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The pending approvals are being scrutinised, and approval will be given in the next one week, a BMC official said.

The BMC has allowed resuming pre-monsoon works at the constructed or under-construction sites, where works had commenced prior to March 14 and were required to be left as it is due to the lockdown. These include the construction of retaining walls, work of shore piling to protect against landslides, waterproofing of terraces and exposed areas, completion of basements and other sub-soil works. However, no permission for new construction or for construction work apart from pre-monsoon work is being given by the BMC.

Vinod Chithore, chief engineer of the BMC’s development plan department, said, “We have received around 350 applications till date, and we have approved more than 200 proposals till now. It is a continuous process, and we will clear all the pending proposals for whoever agrees to follow the conditions laid down by the BMC.”

The BMC had made it mandatory for developers to have the labourers in situ (on the site) wherever construction work is ongoing, however, while large-sized developers had the labour, many mid-sized or small-sized developers have not been able to apply for permission considering there is no labour available in the market.

Also, several developers have cited that while construction permission is being given for projects where labour is available on the site, but travel permission for supervisors, engineers on the site is becoming challenging owing to approvals taking the time. Further, several other conditions put by the BMC include labourers wearing masks, having medical checkups twice a week, isolation facility at the site, and maintaining social distancing at the construction site.

Niranjan Hiranandani, managing director of Hiranandani group, said, “We have resumed work at ongoing projects in Powai, Thane and Panvel. Across the three locations, at our ongoing projects, we have 3000-plus workers who have started working. The site administration peculiarly takes all the necessary prevention measures like fumigation, disinfectant, wearing mask and gloves, staggered labour spread, sanitisation to follow the best guidelines practice.”

Meanwhile, another developer Harshul Savla of M-Realty, said, “The conditions are quite stringent, and there is no single-window clearance for getting permissions. Wherever labour is available on the site, there is a problem for daily travel of supervisors and engineers to the project site. The BMC is permitting construction work, and not travel passes, and due to this a lot of time goes only getting permissions. The issuing of permissions should have been more lenient.”