26 FIRs filed against unscrupulous real estate developers

MIDC have been lodged Twenty three FIRs at the Rabale MIDC police station errant real estate developers, who have used the government land to cheat poor or low income group buyers in Digha, whereas; another three FIRs were lodged against illegal buildings in Digha and case was filed by Brajesh Mishra, a social activist, under MRTP (Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act) act.  Till now police has arrested four of the accused builders and have sent them to jail after high court slammed the authorities for their lax attitude.

Apart from that the demolition drive which was aims to clear 90 illegal buildings as they were on the land of MIDC, has still pending because residents of these buildings are in the process to obtain stay orders from the court. The two buildings which were targeted by demolition team of MIDC are; Moreshwar Apartment and Ambika Building have got stay till December 31, 2015 and all of these things are delaying the action of MIDC. According to P B Chavan, the Executive Engineer of MIDC, “Our demolition team is ready with action plan to take proper strike, and we have served the seven-day notice to the building owners, residents, but they have ample of time to seek the court’s help and, derailing our plan. Ans it has happen more than once since December 1, 2015 when we were supposed to start demolition, but now at this point of time we are unsure when to start the drive.

It is reported that three buildings were razed in October, 2015 by MIDC, rendering over a 100 families homeless. On the other side a coordination committee, which comprise of CIDCO, NMMC and MIDC officials, has also been constituted as per court order with an aim to verify property documents and FIRs allegation before demolish them.

With a view to develop an alternative to Bandra Kurla complex in the eastern part of Mumbai Metropolitan region, the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) had planned another ‘Bandra-Kurla Complex-like Business Growth Centre (BGC)’ for Dombivli.

The proposal is lying with the state government. Once the proposal is accepted, the project will take off. The idea is to bring a ‘Business Growth Centre’ as named by MMRDA to Dombivli to invite industries here and provide opportunities to professionals so they don’t have to travel to Mumbai for work.

Rapid industrial growth in Thane district has necessitated such a move from the MMRDA. “The proposed business growth centre will bring industry to Dombivli. “Ultimately, the aim is to reduce travelling time of the working professionals within the Mumbai metropolitan region and help individuals to increase their productivity. Long ago, the MMRDA had identified a patch of land measuring 4.24 lakh sq mts for development of the business centre. The agency has sent its proposal for approval to the state government,” said an MMRDA official.

The business growth centre will be modelled on the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) which was developed by the MMRDA on a 180 hectare plot. BKC houses the Bharat Diamond Bourse, financial institutions like Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS), Mumbai Cricket Association headquarters, banks and other commercial offices of leading corporate houses. “BKC has all the amenities for business development. It was essentially developed to ease the pressure off south Mumbai and shift businesses close to places like Mahim and Andheri’s MIDC industrial complex. Employers benefited because productivity improved,” said another senior MMRDA official.

The BGC will aid and support the industries at Thane-Belapur belt, Information Technology (IT) parks near Navi Mumbai, special economic zone near Navi Mumbai and industrial complexes set up by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in the district. “During times of recession the region will benefit from the proposed business centre. MIDC has its industrial complex near Kalyan. It remains to be seen as to what facilities are offered at these centres. It will definitely reduce the travelling time for the employees, also save time and costs in transportation. It will provide stimulus to industrialisation in the region. As for housing requirements for the working professionals, Dombivli has numerous ready-to-move-in and under-construction units, in the budget range of Rs 1-1.5 crore. Most of the township projects are in the initial launch phase and offer 2 and 3BHK flats in a price range of Rs 45-80 lakh. Several small scale projects will be offering possession later this year, hence, impacting the total supply available in the area and giving investment options to investors.