The town planning department of the state government is in talks over the draft Development Plan (DP) of the city to Regional Plans for rural areas in the division. In an interview with TOI’s Tushar Pawar, town planner Kishor Patil of Nashik division talks about the status of the proposed DP and other municipal corporations in the division.
What is the status of the proposed DP?
The proposed draft DP of Nashik city has been submitted to the state government. Meetings for the scrutiny committee of the state government will be held on the draft DP, which is likely to get approval of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
What is the permissible height for buildings and how much has been proposed?
Currently, the permissible height for constructing buildings is upto 40 metre, which can accommodate a 13-storey building. In the proposed DP, the maximum height is 100 metre, which will accommodate a 33-storey building. Such buildings will not only change the skyline of the city, but will boost the vertical growth of the city. It will also help builders and the civic body to provide better facilities.
What are the features of the proposed draft DP?
The current population of the city is around 18 lakh and is estimated to grow upto 34 lakh by the year 2034. The draft DP has been chalked out to accommodate the said population and provide them all the amenities. The new residential zone of 12,835 hectares has been proposed in the draft DP to accommodate the rising population. The basic floor space index (FSI) has been increased from 1 FSI to 1.20 FSI.
What about the regional plans of the districts in the division?
There are five districts under the jurisdiction of the Nashik division. The regional plans of Nashik, Ahmednagar and Jalgaon districts have been approved by the state government. Earlier, there were no plans for Dhule and Nandurbar districts, but the government has now started the process to chalk out plans for these two districts. The existing land use map of Dhule district has been prepared and it has also received approval from the collector. The regional plan for Dhule and Nandurbar districts will be completed in a year.
What is the new zone changing policy?
Earlier, the decision to change the zone of rural areas from residential to commercial or industrial were taken at the Mantralaya-level. From May 6, last year, the government introduced the zone changing policy for the entire state under the regional plan. Now, the powers have been delegated to the divisional revenue commissioner and the limit for ‘change in zone’ will now be 25 hectares.
Will industries or hotels be allowed in the green zone?
Earlier, there were restrictions on farming land in the regional plans. But, the state government has made a few amendments in the norm. So, one may set up a hotel or an industry in the green zone by getting more premium FSI, which has been increased to 0.50 FSI. The FSI limit for an industry has been increased to 1 FSI.
What are the issues in rural areas now?
Earlier, there were no town planning rules for rural areas as the permission for construction was given by the Sarpanch. This led to an unbalanced development in rural areas. Permissions were also given only till 3 to 4 FSI in rural areas. There was no technical person to look after the process. So, the government has made amendments in the construction permission at the village Panchayat level and the upper hand is given to town planning. The permission for constructions will now be given by the revenue department in consultation with the town planning department.
What is the government policy for ‘D’ class municipal corporations?
There are four ‘D’ class municipal corporations in the division – Malegaon, Ahmednagar, Dhule and Jalgaon. Earlier, the development control (DC) rules of each municipal corporation were different. These municipal corporations had approved their separate DC rules along with the DP. Now, the state government has introduced a uniform policy for ‘D’ class municipal corporations. The TDR will now be applicable to Malegaon and Dhule municipal corporations too. Other DC rules will be uniform for these ‘D’ class municipal corporations.
Source: ET Reality Residential
