In a logical conclusion which will determine the fate of twin-city in terms of proper planning and all-inclusive holistic development, the state government has finally given its nod for incorporating seven change-in-reservations to accommodate much-needed public amenities in the new development plan (DP) of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC).
In an official letter to the MBMC and other related town planning agencies, the state Urban Development Department (UDD) has given its nod for the changes under 4.27 (3) of the unified development control and promotion regulations (UDCPR).
Move comes after a delay of more than six years
After a delay of more than six years, the MBMC’s DP which was finally in publication-mode stared at an uncertain future after being hit by allegations over glaring anomalies and bias by the planning authority to benefit the powerful builder lobby of the twin-city.
Shiv Sena legislator Pratap Sarnaik had raised the issue in the assembly house by stating that important amenities had not been considered while preparing the new DP, suggestions related to reservation on land parcels mooted by the civic administration were also ignored.
Taking a serious note of the issue, the chief minister directed the UDD officials to look into the issue. The UDD conducted a meeting in the presence of legislators Pratap Sarnaik, Geeta Jain, civic chief Sanjay Katkar, principal secretary (urban development) Aseem Gupta, city engineer Deepak Khambit and officials attached to the town planning wing in December, 2022. It was decided that the final DP will be approved only after rectification and suggestions mooted by the civic administration are incorporated in the vision document.
“The state government has already allocated funds for the construction of various infrastructure projects and amenities including hospital and community buildings and the nod by the UDD will ensure that there is no setback to those works, due to the earlier changes which were done unmindfully and to benefit the builder lobby,”said Sarnaik.
