Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the Real Estate Conclave conducted by Loksatta in Pune on Sunday. Express Photo. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government is considering setting up a committee headed by a retired chief justice of the Bombay High Court to resolve the pending issues related to the Urban Land Ceiling Act (ULC) Act 1976. Fadnavis, who was speaking at the Real Estate Conclave of Loksatta in Pune on Sunday, said this will not only allow the state government a lump sum of Rs 10,000 crores as shelter funds but also stop the functioning of the offices of ULC. Although the Act has been repealed by the state government, there remains considerable confusion about it. In urban areas like Pune and Mumbai, the matter assumes grave significance as ULC clearance is necessary for sanctioning. Fadnavis said, “We know what kind of dukaan (shops) are running in such offices. It is necessary to stop such activities,” he said. Fadnavis said the state government is thinking of appointing a committee headed by the retired chief justice of Bombay High Court to finally solve the pending matters. “Not only will it give Rs 10,000 crores as shelter funds in the kitty of the state government but also close the offices and their activities for once and for all,” he said. [related-post] Fadnavis attributed the exorbitant cost of real estate in cities like Mumbai and Pune to the high cost of land there. “We need to build a structure to generate affordable land for affordable housing. This would involve tweaking the floor space index (FSI) and other means also,” he said. The state government’s housing policy, he said, is almost ready and would be released soon. Asked about the fate of Pune’s development plan (DP), development control rules and the Pune Metro, Fadnavis said that all these are in the final processes of consultation. “The DP of Pune is almost ready and is in the final stages of consideration. We need to address the suggestions and objections raised by the residents of Pune,” he said. The detailed project report (DPR) of the Shivajinagar to Hinjewadi metro route has been received and the state government would give its consent to it soon. “Some people have moved the National Green Tribunal against the first metro route. I would like to assure that we would look into each and every environmental aspect of the project,” he said. Funding for the newly formed Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) would be in the line of the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), Fadnavis said. “We are in the process of transferring land bank to the PMRDA and that would fund its activities,” he said.
