CM relaxes playground norms for educational institutes

The move will come as a breather to several top educational institutes that were in existence before the directives were passed.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has relaxed directives for mandatory playground space to be maintained by educational institutes in urban belts of Maharashtra.

Although the state government had issued directives requiring all educational institutes to set aside 40 per cent of their plot area for a playground, Chavan on Tuesday ruled that it would consider proposals of existing schools and colleges where this has not been provided, on a case-to-case basis.

Sources said Chavan’s move cleared decks for expansion of several schools and colleges in urban areas.

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Following the 2006 directive, a senior official said, proposals for expansion of some institutes were stalled.

Interestingly, Chavan’s ruling came on a proposal regarding expansion of a Vikhroli institute promoted by Mumbai South Central Lok Sabha Member Eknath Gaikwad’s family.

The move will come as a breather to several top educational institutes that were in existence before the directives were passed. A senior official said most of them have not provided for the required playground space.

As a result, proposals for utilisation of additional floor space index (FSI) for modernisation of such institutes were not processed.
Under development control regulations for Mumbai, educational institutes are eligible for an FSI of 5.32 in the island city and 4 in suburbs.

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A senior government official also said the state government was actively considering a proposal for modification in fire safety norms that limit the permissible height of educational institutes at 30 m.

sandeep.ashar@expressindia.com

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