Hikes FSI for pre - 1969 Buildings to 3..!

Here is some good news for Mumbaiites living in old cessed buildings that have been built before 1969. The Maharastra state government has announced a floor space index* (FSI) of 3 for such dilapidated structures. The move is expected to provide a major boost to plans of redevelopment of such properties-.

FSI is the ratio of the total built up area allowed to the size of the plot on which the building stands.

At present, only buildings constructed up to 1940, which are put under A category, enjoyed the FSI of 3. This has now been extended to all buildings constructed before 1969 (both B & C category included). Most of these buildings are located in the island city and are in desperate need of redevelopment.

The announcement was made by Chief Minister Mr. Prithviraj Chavan in the state assembly on recently

“All buildings built before September 30, 1969, will be covered by this decision,” he said.

For many years, builders / promoters have been reluctant to undertake redevelopment of these buildings as the plots of land on which they are constructed are small and it was difficult to redevelop with an FSI of 2.5. As a result, residents continued to languish in old structures with the constant fear of the buildings collapsing.

Developers / builders have welcomed the move, saying that it will have a major impact.

Mr. Sunil Mantri, chairman, Indian Merchants Chambers (Real Estate Committee) said, “The hike was needed and it will really bolster the creation of affordable homes in the city”.

While housing activists are also happy with the decision, they want the state government to look beyond just hiking FSI.

Mr. Utsal Karani, Secretary, Janhit Manch said, “The Maharastra state should beef up the corresponding infrastructure as only hike in FSI will not serve any purpose, apart from putting a strain on existing resources”

Clubbing buildings that were earlier classified as category A, B & C, the state announced on recently that it would give FSI of 3 to all cessed buildings to boost redevelopment activity in the Mumbai.

FSI is the amount of construction that can be made in relation to the size of the plot of land. Buildings constructed before 1969 which pay cess to the state government are called cessed buildings.

Until now, the Maharastra state granted FSI of 3 to just A category buildings, those built prior to 1940, while those constructed between 1940 to 1950 (B category) and 1950 to1969 (C category) were given FSI of 2.5.

Now, the state govt. has clubbed them all in the same level. Chief minister Mr. Prithviraj Chavan made this announcement while replying to a debate on infrastructure in the city.

Though the extra FSI will hardly affect densely populated chawls, it will benefit those living in areas such as Matunga, Byculla, Gamdevi, Mahim, and Dadar which have bigger plots of land with smaller population ratio.

Mr. Shadaab Patel, Chairman and Managing Director, Platimum Constructions Private Limited, said, ''The recent announcement was much awaited move. There would be creation of more housing stock, which could also result in some price correction”.

However, builders want more such proactive steps.

 Mr. Sunil Mantri, Vice President, Nationa Real Estate Development Council (NREDC) said, “The next move should be single-window permissions so that approvals are processed faster”

* Floor space index FSI is the ratio of the total built up area allowed to the size of the plot of land on which the building stands.

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