MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has decided to open up plots reserved for slaughter houses in all municipal corporations of the state and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), except in Mumbai. It has offered private owners the option to use the land for a purpose of their choice if they build a slaughter house on part of the land. The owner will get to use the permissible floor space index (FSI) and transferable development rights (TDR) on the plot.
These changes have been proposed by the state urban development department in the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR). The department has issued a notice seeking suggestions and objections from the public in the next 30 days.
If the plan goes through, it would impact all major cities including those in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
According to the proposed new provision, the planning authority or the appropriate authority may acquire and develop the reserved site for the same purpose, or it may allow the owner to develop the reservation, subject to certain conditions. “It (the owner) has to develop a slaughter house on 60% of the plot along with the necessary amenities and hand it over to the municipal corporation or the planning authority,” said a senior official from the state urban development department.
“Slaughter houses to be developed shall be used only for small animals. Considering public health and safety, and also existing use of the surrounding area, the planning authority shall take a decision regarding the development of the slaughter house through accommodation reservation,” states the notice issued by the urban development department on June 6.
“Sufficient segregating distance shall be kept between the slaughter house and the residential or commercial use, and a no-objection certificate (NoC) from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board MPCB) shall be obtained before allowing the development,” it adds.
According to the notice, owners will be entitled to develop the remaining portion of the plot for the uses permissible in adjoining zones with full permissible FSI of the entire plot and permissible TDR potential of the entire plot. “The authority, if required, shall allow the TDR for the unutilised FSI, if any (after deducting in-situ FSI), to be utilised as per TDR regulations,” it further stated.
Aseem Gupta, additional chief secretary, urban development department, said the principle of ‘accommodation reservation’ is being made applicable to this provision. “It allows development of a reserved plot without the need for acquisition, while the municipal corporation concerned gets a developed amenity free of cost. It also helps in expeditious development. The principle of accommodation reservation has already been applicable to many other reservations,” Gupta told HT. He added that the new provision would be implemented where the UDCPR is applicable in the state.
The UDCPR was established to standardise construction rules and development regulations for various planning authorities and regional plan areas across the state. It, however, is not applicable in some areas such as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA), Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), among others.