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  CM Devendra Fadnavis to let private companies keep open spaces

CM Devendra Fadnavis to let private companies keep open spaces

AGE CORRESPONDENT
Published : Jul 27, 2016, 10:31 pm IST
Updated : Jul 27, 2016, 10:31 pm IST

In a U-turn from his earlier stance, Fadnavis allowed them to maintain land free of cost.

In a U-turn from his earlier stance, Fadnavis allowed them to maintain land free of cost.

In a U-turn on his earlier stance, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday allowed private agencies to maintain open spaces, but free of cost.

In January this year, the CM had stayed the BMC’s open space policy, expressing concern over losing these spaces to private players. Mr Fadnavis, amid ongoing opposition to the civic body’s development plan (DP), had assured the Assembly that Mumbai would have more open spaces. MLA Parag Alvani, BJP Mumbai president Ashish Shelar and Varsha Gaikwad raised the issue about change of reservation of open spaces in the proposed DP by BMC.

Mr Shelar objected to handing over maintenance of open spaces to private companies and demanded that the BMC take back the land. However, the CM said that sometimes, BMC was overburdened which is why private agencies had been roped in. “It is fine to give maintenance of open spaces to private agencies as long as they are doing it free of cost and not earning profit out of it,” he said.

Interestingly, the civic body’s open space policy was opposed by many, with the CM putting it on hold in January this year. At the time, he also told BMC to immediately take back over 200 plots given out for maintenance, the contract period for which was over, as well as other plots reserved as recreational grounds and playgrounds.

Several objections were raised regarding exclusion of open spaces and other institutes. The state had to direct the civic body to rectify its mistakes and invite suggestions and objections from experts, activists and the public.

“The number of open spaces will not reduce. The open spaces shown in the 1991 DP will continue. We will also try to increase them. The proposed DP also has a provision for keeping open spaces while developing Non Development Zones (NDZs),” he said.

Asked if the BMC would make available 3,000 hectares of land from NDZ for affordable housing, the CM replied that the entire land would not be made available for affordable housing. To develop the 3,000 hectares NDZ land, certain conditions had been put forth such as the plot covering at least 4 hectares, 25 per cent land to be reserved for open spaces, 8 per cent for institutional purposes, and another 8 per cent for social facilities. Twenty-five per cent for affordable housing, 34 per cent for the land owner for development, the CM said. Meanwhile, Leader of the opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil pointed out that the DP had lot of errors and major buildings and landmarks were not shown in it. However, the CM said that the type of use of land was shown if not the landmarks.