Soon,CIDCO to be planning body for 25 km around NMIA

T C Benjamin,Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department (UDD) and member of the CIDCO board,said: “International airports act as a catalyst for urban development in its vicinity. Earlier,settlements came up away from airports due to factors,such as noise levels. But with rapid urbanisation and frequent air travel,people like to have commercial establishments and other related development near the airport.” The appointment of CIDCO as the SPA will be done once it receives final approval from the UDD.

CIDCO board authorities said this is imperative to ensure that development in areas around the airport does not happen in a haphazard manner. At present,landlords are able to command exorbitant prices for their private plots in these villages since construction by builders is dictated by potential for profit rather than ideal town planning norms.

According to government sources,the move to appoint CIDCO as the SPA has been approved amid much opposition from some members of the board. This is owing to fears expressed by private landowners that the new reservations and zoning laws,which will be decided by the SPA,may render their land less lucrative.

Tanaji Satre,managing director of CIDCO,said within the proposed 25-km radius,the planning authority for some of the areas are the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority or various municipal councils and corporations. “These areas already have a sanctioned Development Plan (DP) and hence,will continue to be under the same agencies. The remaining rural areas,that are governed by gram panchayats and the Collector,will now come under CIDCO,” said Satre.

He added that once CIDCO is appointed the SPA,the agency will prepare a draft DP,detailing the land use policy. Satre clarified that CIDCO will not acquire land for creating nodes on the lines of the Navi Mumbai model. “Only land required for infrastructure projects will be acquired. The rest of the land can be developed by private landowners in keeping with the approved DP,” he added.