Wait for Mumbai’s blueprint gets longer, BMC seeks 60 more days to approve draft

The general body of the BMC on Monday again demanded an extension of two months to approve the draft development plan (DP) 2034. This is the fourth time in the past one year that it has asked for an extension.

This means more delay in implementing the document which plans the city’s growth in the next two decades.

This delay is causing confusion in the real estate market. With projects getting delayed and some not even starting, this is causing a loss in development revenue for the civic body.

The DP department put up a proposal to the general body on Monday asking it to consider approving the draft DP 2034 before May 19 as the corporators would be on leave for almost a month.

Shiv Sena corporator and leader of the house Yashwant Jadhav demanded an amendment to the proposal stating that two months more were needed to approve the proposal as it was complex.

Jadhav, said, “The civic administration’s steps in educating the newly elected corporators were inadequate. We need more time to understand the DP to come up with more suggestions to make it more citizen-friendly.”

The BJP corporators said the general body should at least initiate a discussion on DP document. However, none of them clearly opposed the Sena’s demand and the two-month extension amendment was passed.

The civic body will write to the state government, asking for an extension to submit the draft DP.

A senior civic official from the DP department said, “If it doesn’t agree, then the proposal can be deemed approved without the general body’s consent after May 19.”