Kolhapur civic body objects to amendments in DCR rules, supports developers

The directorate of town planning, Pune, has initiated the process to call suggestions and objections regarding the rules made public in November last year

  • Published On Apr 12, 2016 at 02:30 PM IST
KOLHAPUR: The municipal corporation on Monday expressed reservations over some of the amendments suggested in the development control regulations (DCR) rules drafted by the state government for class D civic bodies.

The directorate of town planning, Pune, has initiated the process to call suggestions and objections regarding the rules made public in November last year. A few days ago, the city unit of the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (Credai) and Kolhapur Engineer's Association were called for hearing on the matter. Both the associations claimed that the new rules will be a hurdle for the housing sector, which is already struggling due to recession.

Dhananjay Khot, additional director of town planning in the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC), said, "The directorate called us to present our views in response to the objections raised by the associations. The state government has proposed several modifications such as sharing revenue of the premium charged and use of transfer development rights (TDR) for plots with road width more than 9m. We said the civic bodies such as the KMC are totally dependent on the revenue generated through the premiums charged to builders and therefore, the clause should be withdrawn."

The KMC also contested the indirect loading of TDR to certain while granting floor space index (FSI). The state government has proposed to increase FSI from 1 to 1.3, which, according to the KMC, will be a way to avoid premiums for utilising additional FSI. Architects and builders had claimed that the increased FSI will be of no use to them owing to changes in the TDR policy.

Khot said, "We are unsure about the final DCR as it is completely up to the state government to consider or reject the suggestions and objections. The rules were drafted taking into account the recommendations of the expert committee set up a few years ago."

The Maharashtra government is unlikely to heed the civic body's objections, as the state budget for 2016-17 has emphasised on revenue generation through premiums and 50% transfer of share. The civic officials claimed that the KMC will face revenue loss of around Rs 15 crore if the amended rules come into force.

KMC's stand:
* Restriction to use of TDR for plots with road width above 9m will hit development of reserved plots with less size

* 50% sharing of premium revenue will affect its finances

* Increased FSI will not to help the KMC in monetary terms
  • Published On Apr 12, 2016 at 02:30 PM IST
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