Maharashtra gives push to development along Metro corridors

The state will soon commission a study to look into its plan to allow development along proposed Metro corridors across Mumbai

The state will soon commission a study to look into its plan to allow development along proposed Metro corridors across Mumbai, a project that was conceived in 2013. The aim of allowing transit-oriented development (TOD) is to generate funds for Metro projects by giving out more floor space index (FSI) for a premium.

The Mumbai Metro. (HT Photo)

The Metro-7 corridor, which connects Andheri (East) to Dahisar (East), may be considered for the pilot project. “The study will be commissioned in a couple of months,” said Nitin Kareer, principal secretary, urban development department (UDD). “It will determine the FSI and premium to be charged along the 16.5-km corridor,” said a senior bureaucrat, on condition of anonymity.

The state’s think tank, Mumbai Transformation Support Unit (MTSU), will float bids for appointment of a consultant for the study.

“The idea is to monetise the redevelopment potential of the areas, so the government can repay the loans and fund other Metro projects. Metro-7 will be taken up as it is in “advanced stages” of construction. It will be followed by Metro-2 (Dahisar-DN Nagar-Bandra-Mankhurd) or Metro-4 (Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavali) corridor,” said BC Khatua, director of MTSU.

“TOD will offer residential as well commercial spaces. The study will be station-specific and will be completed within a year. Those with more potential will be picked up. Interchanges will be important, but much more congested, making it more challenging.”

The state has tweaked its original plan, which looked at transit-oriented development at Metro interchanges, to see if premium-based FSI can be offered around Metro stations too.

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is implementing Metro projects worth nearly ₹1 lakh crore in the city, has requested the UDD to expedite the process.

“We want the UDD to decide on TOD immediately, as it will benefit MMRDA, and help us implement projects faster,” said RA Rajeev, metropolitan commissioner, MMRDA.

The state had proposed TOD earlier too, but the plan was put off after urban planners criticised it.

In the development plan 2034, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) rejected the plan calling it “flawed”.

An earlier draft of the plan had proposed a variable FSI, ranging from 2.5 to 8, with a higher density around mass transit corridors, and linking it to the availability of physical and social infrastructure.The plan, riddled with errors, was eventually scrapped.