Maharashtra govt may dilute policy

Maharashtra govt may dilute policy Bowing to pressure from the builder lobby, the Maharashtra government is set to dilute its policy on inclusive housing and not force developers to construct flats for low- and middle-income buyers on plots reserved for premium housing. Phatak, former chief town planner with the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, offered a counterview. He said mixed-income housing projects are a common feature in many countries, where it is preferred over income-segregated ghettos. Only if a plot is 10 acres or more, such as in a large township, does it make sense to put both LIG, MIG and premium housing on the same location," said Mantri. In January, the state government published draft regulations on inclusive housing that proposed to make it mandatory for developers undertaking projects on plots of 2,000 sq. In return, they would be offered 20% extra floor space index (that indicates permissible construction on any plot) as an incentive. Sachin Ahir, Maharashtra housing minister, said the state government hasn't made a decision yet. This hasn't been happening due to high land prices. So if the location is different from the premium project, it really doesn't matter," he said. ft or larger. "We don't see any harm in the move as long since there is a restriction of creation of housing stock for LIG and MIG sections within the same municipal ward," said Simpreet Singh, coordinator of Ghar Bachao Ghar Banao Andolan, a non-profit lobbying for homes for lower- and middle-income groups. ft, which isn't possible for the other residents to pay," Mantri added. While home for the lower-income groups typically are of 300-500 sq. The government invited comments from the public on the draft regulation. "In India, developers like to segregate the two because then they're able to command a better premium in prices for some projects. Sunil Mantri, chairman of the eponymous Sunil Mantri Realty Ltd, said it was impractical to juxtapose premium and lower-income residents in high-end projects. 25 a sq. ft, premium homes are of 2,000-5,000 sq. "In the latter, maintenance charges are even up to Rs. Maharashtra govt may dilute policy Trade News selected by Local Linkup on 01/05/2012