Now, BMC pushes TDR in island city

Mumbai: A BMC proposal seeks to completely overhaul the transfer of development rights (TDR) policy to make it more equitable, in a move that is expected to have far-reaching repercussions on the city's development plan. 

    In his plan which is to be submitted to the state government soon, BMC chief Subodh Kumar has proposed that TDR be allowed anywhere in the city, not be restricted to the suburbs. Its selective use in highend areas of the western suburbs has led to lopsided development, especially in the Bandra-Khar-Juhu belt. 
    A construction boom due to TDR in these localities has put a severe strain on the civic infrastructure, with towers rising on narrow roads with inadequate parking.
PLOTTING A CHANGE 

• Plan says TDR must not be restricted to suburbs. Move to check lopsided development and quicken land acquisition for public welfare 

• Owners to get 1.3 times the plot potential as TDR 

• Non-cessed buildings in island city to get extra 1.33 FSI as TDR 

• Ready reckoner rates of area to determine TDR Activists may oppose new TDR proposal 
Mumbai: With construction boom in some parts of the city putting a strain on infrastructure in those areas, civic commissioner Subodh Kumar is keen to put an end to this "serious distortion" that has been going on for two decades. 
    TDR, introduced in 1991, is a compensation given to private land owners whose properties are reserved by the BMC for public amenities like parks and playgrounds. The owner receives equivalent construction rights which can be used anywhere north of the plot he has surrendered. However, most land owners with high-value properties in the island city were reluctant to hand over their lands because the TDR value in the suburbs was not lucrative enough. As a result, the BMC failed to acquire such amenity plots and the policy faltered. On the other hand, builders redeveloping slum pockets in low-value localities (Mankhurd--Trombay for instance) made obscene profits by using the TDR entitled to them in premium areas like Bandra, Khar and Juhu. 
    The BMC has now proposed that land owners be offered 1.3 times the plot potential as TDR. "This will ensure that compensation is in line with the actual market value, or marginally less or more…the development plan will get implemented speedily without financial cost to the BMC and land acquisition will not be long-drawn,'' the corporation's proposal said. 
    Kumar refused to comment on the new policy, but a developer who has procured a copy of the proposal told TOI, "The new policy may help improve availability of open spaces and reduce discrepancies in the TDR business." However, the proposal is likely to be opposed by urban experts and activists, who fear that allowing TDR in the island city will aggravate the problem. 
    But Kumar's plan says TDR should be generated and consumed uniformly across the city, "reversing imbalanced development in the suburbs". It has recommended that non-cessed buildings in the island city—currently allowed a floor space index (FSI) of just 1.33 during redevelopment, be sanctioned another 1.33 as TDR, taking the total FSI to 2.66. However, cessed buildings, most of which were built more than 70 years ago, today receive virtually unlimitedFSI when they are redeveloped. The commissioner has suggested that FSI up to 4 be allowed on such plots. "The balance, if any, shall be given in the form of TDR'' which can be utilized at another place. "The new policy will take into account relative values of the stamp duty ready reckoner from the area where TDR is generated, the place where it is used and the year in which it is utilized,'' it says. The TDR value will now be linked to the place where it is generated.