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38 decisions over two meetings in one week — Maharashtra govt rushes to beat poll code

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis held two meetings of his cabinet this week, clearing 22 proposals Tuesday and 16 more Friday.

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Mumbai: Anticipating the model code of conduct for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to kick in any moment now, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government took a record 38 cabinet decisions this week, clearing populist proposals and long-pending projects and demands.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis held two meetings of his cabinet, clearing 22 proposals Tuesday and 16 more Friday.

The decisions relate to paving the way for vital infrastructure projects, providing sops for self-redevelopment for Mumbai’s societies, benefits for ashramshalas for the Scheduled Castes, extension to schemes providing aid to dairy and onion farmers, among others, said an official from the chief minister’s office who did not wish to be named.


Also read: Eager to woo Shiv Sena, Maharashtra govt rushes to get Thackeray memorial off the ground


Appeasing Sena

One of the key decisions that the Maharashtra cabinet took Friday was to approve a proposal to amend the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act to waive property tax on houses in Mumbai with a carpet area of up to 500 square feet.

Incidentally, the Shiv Sena had promised this in its manifesto for the 2017 Mumbai civic polls, which it won by a whisker. The decision had been pending for an approval from the CM-led urban development department.

When Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray recently agreed to forge an alliance with the BJP for this year’s Lok Sabha as well as Maharashtra assembly elections, one of the conditions that the alliance rested on was that the state government will clear his proposal of the Mumbai civic body.

A state government official said, “The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation had passed a resolution to waive property tax for houses up to 500 square feet and slash the tax by 60 per cent for houses up to 700 square feet.”

“We will table an ordinance in the next assembly session. The BMC can take the decision to reduce property tax for houses up to 700 square feet at its own level,” said the official on condition of anonymity.

Within minutes of the cabinet meeting, Shiv Sena scion and Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray tweeted taking credit for the decision and asserting how the party has met its promise.

More sops for Mumbai

The state cabinet also cleared a new policy to incentivise thousands of old, creaking buildings in Mumbai to opt for self-redevelopment, instead of taking the traditional route of appointing a developer.

The policy will involve setting up a single window for all clearances for buildings wanting to self-redevelop, concessions in construction premiums, goods and services tax, open space deficiency tax and other levies.

The cabinet decided to form a committee under additional chief secretary of the housing department to decide the quantum of such concessions.

New Metro in Thane, push to Pune airport

On Tuesday, the state cabinet approved a Rs 13,095-crore plan for a circuitous Metro route in Thane, one of Mumbai’s main satellite towns.

The 29-km line will be partially underground for 2.2 km, while the rest will be elevated. The line will have 22 stations connecting different parts of Thane and the proposed New Thane with a daily estimated ridership of 5.76 lakh.

Among other decisions, the government also approved setting up a special purpose vehicle for a proposed international airport at Purandar in Pune.


Also read: Maharashtra govt to host grand Ramayan gala weeks ahead of Lok Sabha polls


 

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1 COMMENT

  1. It is a fact that most builders in Bombay are stressed. Redevelopment projects, for both slums and dilapidated buildings, are struggling to get completed, sometimes even to get started. In several cases, after the slum dwellers / tenants have vacated their original dwelling and moved to alternate locations, builders have stopped sending them cheque’s for rent. 2. Quite a mess, into which these “ self development “ folk will be stepping in. Everyone wants a free house, larger than the original. The project becomes viable when part of the enhanced FSI is utilised to construct apartments for sale in the open market. Potential buyers lack confidence that projects will be completed, so there is a reluctance to buy under construction houses, which brings in money for the builder. For that matter, so many completed flats remain unsold. By becoming builders themselves, members of societies will have to take all these commercially difficult steps, raising money for their own transit accommodation, construction of self use / sale apartments, raising necessary funds without being able to sell flats till the project is completed. Builders would have been playing golf if things were so easy.

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