Fresh eco-clearance stuck in red tape, MBMC building too comes under CRZ
Mira Road : It’s a double whammy for hundreds of families who continue to risk their lives by staying in old and dilapidated buildings and have been anxiously waiting for relaxation of norms that pose hurdles to redevelopment projects in the Mira-the Bhayandar region.
After Urban Development Department recently struck down the proposal tabled by the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) mooting changes in the development control regulations to facilitate redevelopment projects of old structures, notification of the fresh Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) survey has also been biting dust for the past several months.
It should be noted that plans to renovate or reconstruct unsafe buildings have been shackled by the 1991 CRZ law and the subsequent survey carried out by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Regulation Authority (MCZRA). A large fraction of buildings (mostly in Bhayandar East and West) constructed during the Gram Panchayat and municipal council regimes are on the verge of crumbling.
Sensing gravity of the situation, a CRZ resurvey was conducted in 2013 following which a draft to this effect was published inviting public hearing in February 2015.
After duly registering objections and suggestions on the fresh CRZ survey the draft was tabled before the government authorities. However, since then the proposal is yet to see the light of the day. Interestingly, the main administrative building of the MBMC too falls under the CRZ, prohibiting any type of construction or renovation work within the building’s premises.
However, the rigid CRZ norms have not only hampered redevelopment work but have also put the brakes on much needed urgent repair works of some of the extremely dilapidated structures.
Suresh Golani
