Ex-Sena CM’s firm bags plum redevpt project

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi's construction 

firm has received clearance from the high-powered committee on cluster redevelopment to redevelop phase-I of the 30-acre Macchimar Nagar (fishermen's colony) at Mahim. 
    Kohinoor Planet Construction, which claims to have the consent of 70% of residents, was given the go-ahead last month after Mhada granted its approval for the redevelopment. The layout belongs to Mhada. Some state officials questioned why such a large project was sought to be given away to a private developer when Mhada could have redeveloped it and reaped the profits. But a Mhada official said rules pertaining to cluster redevelopment permitted any builder to undertake such a project and hand over a certain portion of the new tenements free of cost to the housing authority. 
    The committee, chaired by municipal chief S J Kunte, has now sent the proposal to the state urban development department for final approval. Joshi's son, Unmesh, who heads Kohinoor, is believed to be pushing the project in political circles. 
    Phase-I (around 10 acres), comprising 20 buildings that were declared dilapidated, are occupied by fishermen's families. The developer has proposed to offer each family 484 sq 
ft free tenement as against the minimum requirement of 300 sq ft. Phase-II, for which Mhada has given an in-principle nod, is spread over 15 acres. It comprises 14 buildings housing policemen, three buildings belonging to the Special Bureau of India, three Mhada buildings and one ONGC building. Phase-I will have a total built-up of 1.18 lakh sq m with a permissible FSI of 4.

The 30-acre Macchimar Nagar at Mahim will be redeveloped by Kohinoor Planet Construction