May 1: The policy-making standing committee of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) today rejected outright the proposal from the civic administration to allow an increase in the Floor Space Index (FSI) for builders in sector 17 in Vashi and sectors 11 and 15 in CBD Belapur.

The proposal to increase the FSI from 1:1:15 to 1:2 had been originally mooted by the then municipal commissioner J N Pathak, but was held back last year after vehement opposition from both the ruling Shiv Sena corporators and the opposition Congress on the ground that it would benefit only builders. The Congress member Dyaneshwar Ramdas Patil had even alleged a scam in the proposal. ``There should be a high-level inquiry into the conduct of the CIDCO officials, including its managing director,'' he had demanded. Independent member of the standing committee, Sandhya Kousadikar, who had also opposed the proposal, had said the infrastructural strain on Vashi's sector 17 was already visible in traffic jams, haphazard parking and an increasing number of mishaps. The proposal was discussed for the fourth time today at a special session of the committee, at which the present commissioner of the NMMC Sudhakar Kulkarni withdrew the proposal, on the grounds that ``there was no point in discussing it.'' He said the proposal had come mainly from the builder's lobby, and it had no mention of the possible impact on the city's infrastructure. The proposal would lead to many complications, so he wanted to withdraw it. This decision to revoke the proposal clearly illustrates the different styles of functioning of the two commissioners.

Cutting across party lines, committe members insisted on rejecting the move. They also wanted NMMC to take a stand disallowing repetition of such a move, instead of just allowing it to be withdrawn. The committee chairperson Mohan Madhvi shared the members' concern and announced the proposal had been rejected.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.