Shiv Sena wants Mumbai to stop soaring for a while

The city unit of the Shiv Sena, better known for its Marathi-first campaigns, has raised an interesting issue with the state government, of checking the boom in high-rise buildings.

The Sena rules the civic body, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation.

The party head in the BMC, Standing Committee chairman Rahul Shewale, has formally asked state Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to stop approvals for high-rises, in view of the burgeoning population of the metropolis and additional burden on the civic body to provide several amenities.

His letter says a decision on more high-rise buildings should come only after a new development plan for the metropolis is prepared in 2012 (when civic polls are due).

The trigger is the state government's recent approval for a floor space index of 1.33 for Mumbai city and an FSI of one for the suburbs.

...

According to the BMC's construction norms, a high-rise is any building more than 70 metres tall. This means the building has at least 18 to 21 storeys, depending on the height of individual floors.

Over 160 high-rise projects were cleared by a state-appointed committee over the past five-and-a-half years.

State government sources said the Sena's plea would be examined by the urban development department. Presently, this is under the chief minister's direct jurisdiction.

A Sena leader, who did not want to be quoted, told Business Standard the party wanted to reach out to its traditional voters, the Mumbaikars, who have lived in chawls and middle class localities but are now being outnumbered due to the high-rise boom.

A realty developer said a blanket ban on high-rise buildings should not be imposed, given the limitations of growth in Mumbai.