20,000 Illegal Constructions in Navi Mumbai to be Regularised

MUMBAI:  Maharashtra government will regularise 20,000 illegal constructions in adjoining Navi Mumbai, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis informed the state Assembly in Mumbai today.

The government will also allot 4 FSI for cluster development in Navi Mumbai, he said in the House.

NCP legislator Sandip Naik later told reporters that the government should verify if all project-affected people will get benefit of the decision.

However, BJP MLA Manda Mhatre said the earlier Congress-NCP government did not take the decision in the last 15 years, but Chief Minister Fadnavis has taken this decision which will benefit the people

Cidco - Action Plan : 2015

(1) Affordable Housing for economically weaker sections of society

Action Plan to construct 10,000 EWS / LIG houses every year for the next 3 years in order to

meet the burgeoning need for affordable houses.

(2) Social Amenities :’

Action Plan’ for development of

52 – Schools, 

4 – Professional Colleges, 

1 – Degree College,

32 – Hospitals, 

135 – Religious / Spiritual Centres, 

30 – Senior Citizen Facility Centres

286 – Social Welfare Centres including Hostels, Community Centres etc.

Above Social Amenities in various nodes of CIDCO are planned to be developed within

next 3 years.

(3) Public Utilities : MSW Treatment Plant at Taloje

(4) Greening of CIDCO

Nature Park :

In collaboration with the Forest Department, CIDCO has taken up a Nature Park Project costing Rs.

36 Crs in an area of 2000 Ha. This project will have walking trails, regeneration of forests, water

conservation projects, viewing galleries, Adventure Camps and camping facilities, refurbishing of

existing waterfalls and Boulders Park etc.

Central Park :

Phase-II of Central Park, the area in Sector-24 of Kharghar node of 35 Ha.area is to be developed.

48 new Gardens are being developed in the next two years and all old Gardens are being

revamped.

(5) Play grounds, Sports facilities and Golf Course:

a) 61 more playgrounds with cricket pitches are being developed.

b) “Rajeev Gandhi Maidan“ in New Panvel is being developed into an international standard

c) 30 Gymnasiums and Yoga Centres are being developed.

(6) Golf Course :

7 hole golf course of international standard encompassing 68.70 Ha area including facilities

like reception area, restaurant , changing rooms & parking has been developed in Khargharat

a cost of Rs.50.35 Crs.

(7) Smart City

All CIDCO townships are being converted into smart cities with installation of CCTV cameras,

sensors, citizen centric portals, energy& water conservation schemes. LINK

(8) Exhibition Centre at Vashi :

On 7.41 Ha plot area consisting of closed exhibition space of 24288 Sq.M. & Convention

Centre of 11965 Sq.Marea with banquet hall, multipurpose hall & auditorium has been

constructed at a total cost of Rs.256 Cr. It will be made functional with the PPP Operator in

next six months.

football stadium.

(9) Redevelopment of Dilapidated buildings

CIDCO has prepared a model for redevelopment of CIDCO constructed old dilapidated

buildings through private initiative by provision of additional FSI. This is expected to not only

help in redevelopment of these buildings but will also create an additional housing stock for

the poor.

(10) JNPT Influence Area : (JNPTIA) Area – 187.01 Sq. Km.

(11) Professionalization of CIDCO Employees and Officers

Special Training, Research Papers, Meditation etc

(12) New Policy for Allotment of plots for Religious & Social Facilities

(13) Computerization :

SAP GIS Paperless Office

Auto DCR E-Payment Scanning & Digitization

Navi Mumbai international airport set to start operations from 2019

NAGPUR: The proposed Navi Mumbai international airport in Kopra-Panvel will begin operations from 2019, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Maharashtra Legislative Council here today. 

"The process of getting permits from various departments shall be completed by January 2015 and the first phase of this airport will start functioning from 2019," Fadnavis said replying to a calling attention motion brought by members Sanjay Datta, Bhai Jagtap, Husnabai Khalife, Sharad Ranpise and Dipti Choudhary. 

"We have already acquired 592 hectares of land for it and all major clearances have been received by the government. Only a few sanctions are left.. we will get it by January 2015. After getting all the sanctions, we will go in for financial bids for construction," he told the House. 

The total project cost of this largest greenfield airport should be around Rs 14,573 crore, he said. 

CIDCO is the nodal agency for the work. The first part of the NMIA airport will have a capacity to handle 10 million passengers per year. 

Also, the airport will help creating new jobs. The entire project is based on Public Private Partnership model and it will lend a new direction to the development agenda of the state, he said. 

The government has acquired land for this upcoming airport in Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) after providing a compensation of Rs 14 crore per hectare. 

The airport is being built with an aim to ease air traffic congestion at Mumbai's Santa Cruz airport and also to divert population influx in the metropolis to the new town. 

CIDCO DRAWS UP ACTION PLAN AGAINST ENCROACHMENTS

High profile violaters to be targeted first, criminal cases to be filed, WhatsApp service for info

G. Mohiuddin Jeddy, Navi Mumbai

Faced with large scale encroachments on CIDCO land in Navi Mumbai and the areas around the proposed airport, CIDCO has drawn up a detailed action plan to counter the menace. First on its radar are the `high profile’ violators who CIDCO plans to target to send out a strong message. It has also decided to file criminal cases against the vested interests involved in the illegal constructions and issued a stern warning to its own officials that they too will not be spared if found to be hand in glove with the encroachers. The nodal agency will also seek information from WhatsApp.

CIDCO has got in former Beed collector Sunil Kendrekar as the chief administrator (new towns), who now also heads the Controller of Unauthorised Constructions (CUC) department of CIDCO to take on the encorachers. Kendrekar is known as a no nonsense officer, whose transfer from Beed was opposed by the local residents.

Speaking at a press conference at CIDCO Bhavan, Kendrekar said, “We have decided to get tough and not spare anyone. I have asked my officers to not just start taking action against the encroachers but also lodge FIRs against them. Officers who do not take stern action against the violators will themselves face the music if they are found to be colluding.”

Added Kendrekar, “I have drawn up a list of 20 encroachments each in Navi Mumbai region and NAINA area around the proposed airport, which belong to the so called influential people of the area. Action has begun with notices being sent to these illegal structures as we want to send a very strong signal to all that nobody is above the law.”

Lamented Kendrekar, “I do not want to talk about the past, but I am certainly not satisfied with the work of the CUC so far. We need to set things right and gain the confidence of the people before things get out of hand.”

Stated Kendrekar, “There has been a problem of staff shortage. There was just one anti-encroachment squad for the entire region under CIDCO. Now I have asked for 4 squads in each region.”

Extending complete support to Kendrekar, CIDCO vice chairman and managing director Sanjay Bhatia who gave details of the action plan, said, “Residents will not be able to inform us through WhatsApp number 8767753114 of any violations. We are also monitoring changes on land through google maps. An MIS report on encroachment will also henceforth be generated detailing, the complaints and action taken.”

Added Bhatia, “To cut red tape, Kendrekar has been authorized to ask the CIDCO engineering department to fence the sites where demolition of illegal structures takes place to prevent the structures coming up again. We are also mapping our plots in the region to keep an eye on them.”

Informed Bhatia, “The administrators in the nodes under our jurisdiction have been provided with mobile squads to enable decentralized monitoring and stop new encroachments.”

Assured Bhatia, “No action will be taken against constructions within 200 metres of village land in the region as that matter is pending with the government for regularization. New constructions on such land will however not be allowed.”

Smart City In charge appreciates Cidco’s smart city scheme NAINA

Belapur: With hearings for objections and suggestions for the pilot project of Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) set to be held from November 27, the concept has evoked interest and even earned appreciation from none other than the chief of the smart city project in the Narendra Modi government. According to sources, “The in charge of smart city has appreciated the concept of NAINA and wants the model to be replicated in other parts of the country.” 

Cidco has passed a board resolution for development of NAINA area and has submitted interim development plan for the region comprising of 23 villages. The hearing on suggestions and objections will be held on November 27, 28 and 29 at the NAINA office in Belapur. 

Developers from the region had submitted their observation for the draft interim development plan and during the hearing want to make a detailed presentation of the issues faced by them. Elaborating on the plan, sources said, “NAINA is nothing but a smart city scheme. We plan to develop the area into region of the 21st century. If people come together and have minimum 10 hectare of land, then we have an incentive scheme wherein if they surrender 40% of their land to Cidco, they will get FSI of 1.7 for development against the presently available 0.1 FSI.” In addition, the sources said, “Cidco will be getting all the environmental clearances for them and develop infrastructure in the area.” 

The state government had appointed Cidco as special planning authority (SPA) for NAINA, which is in the 25 km radius area of Navi Mumbai airport. Cidco was also entrusted with the responsibility of draft interim development plan with corresponding control regulations. Accordingly, Cidco has prepared a pilot project of 23 villages. Any developer who has to start construction work in the NAINA region have to take permission from Cidco to start the project unlike the practise earlier, wherein it sought permission from local bodies. 

Meanwhile, developers want early decisions on NAINA. Harish Chheda, Navi Mumbai-based developer, however, feels the government should fast track NAINA development. “There is a need for Cidco and the state government to fast track NAINA development. Cidco was, till now, focused on airport development, but they should also cater to other sectors which demand attention.”

Cidco revamps policy to take on encroachments on its land

NAVI MUMBAI: City Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) has decided to take a tough stand on illegal encroachments. Under its revamped action plan, it is mandatory for anti-encroachment officers to register an FIR before demolition and procure a court order, if required. Also, there would be zero-tolerance policy towards any sort of external interference. 

MD Sanjay Bhatia introduced Sunil Kendrekar, who will be heading chief controller of unauthorized construction (CCUC) and the personnel department, at a media meet held on Tuesday. Kendrekar said demolition drives will not be conducted without filing an FIR and action will be taken against those officers who fail to do so. 

Residents can inform CUC about encroachments by posting pictures and details on Whatsapp (8767753114). The department will be monitoring all Cidco-owned plots and management information reports. 

Speaking against coercive tactics, Kendrekar said, " To reiterate the fact that the law is equal for all, 20 unauthorized constructions in Navi Mumbai airport influence notified area (NAINA) and 20 encroachments within Cidco area, reportedly belonging to influential people, are to be demolished soon ," he said. All new constructions within 200m radius of the gaothan area will also be demolished. 

All nodal administrators are authorized to prevent encroachments and will be provided with a squad as well. 

"Currently, there is only one demolition team which is insufficient, considering over 5,000-odd Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) notices have been issued. We are seeking four units of demolition squad for NAINA region and four more teams for Cidco areas," added Kendrekar. 

CIDCO to hold a hearing for the objections and suggestions for the proposed Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA)

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) 

will hold a hearing for the objections and suggestions for the 

proposed Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area 

(NAINA) project between November 27-29.


The hearing will be held for the pilot project involving 

rehabilitation of 23 villages which are currently on the land 

on which the airport will be built. These villages fall under 

the notified area.


till date, CIDCO has received over 3,946 applications of 

objections and suggestions related to the project. A special

committee will conduct the hearing at the Belapur station 

complex in two phases. 


CIDCO had invited objections and suggestions on the issue 

between August and October this year. The first phase will 

cover over 2,733 objections and suggestions. A date is yet

to be decided for hearing the remaining 1,213 applications. 


Officials at CIDCO revealed that post-hearing, the pilot 

project may be revised and will be sent to the state 

government for approval. Mohan Ninawe, PRO, CIDCO, 

said, “We are conducting the hearing to get views from the

people and will implement changes in the pilot project if

required. However, if this project is approved and 

implemented, CIDCO will rehabilitate the rest of the villages 

in the same manner.

Cidco Officials Meet Devendra Fadnavis or Navi Mumbai AIrport

Maharashtra: BJP sets target of 5 lakh affordable houses in next 5 years

The BJP-led new government in Maharashtra has decided to provide five lakh affordable houses in Mumbai and in its extended suburbs in the next five years.

According to a senior cabinet minister, they have decided to construct as many houses in Maharashtra as possible. "Mumbai is main... where house prices have gone through the roof. We will ask developers to construct smaller houses and sell the same to people at reasonable rates. The rate in an extended suburb will be maximum Rs2,000 per sqft, while in the city Rs4,000 per sqft. In return, the developers will get additional FSI and tax exemptions from government. We have decided to make this a time-bound programme," said the minister.

He said before forming the government, they had made a detailed plan and consulted developers, urban experts and banks. "We had discussed the plan with all stakeholders, they had given their nod as well. We will ask developers to construct on larger plots so that more houses can be built," he added.

A senior state government official told dna that by promoting affordable houses, other supplementary industries, which depend on the construction industry, will also grow. "We want to see the economy rolling. It should not be stagnant. That will help increase thegrowth rate of Maharashtra as well as India. Recently, we made a presentation before the chief minister and his cabinet, they have agreed on it. Very soon, a meeting with prominent developers will be called for a final decision on this," he added.

Sunil Mantri, president of National Real Estate Development Council, an umbrella body of developers, welcomed the decision. "We are ready to tie up with the government for this. But the state should exempt us from tax and stamp duty. We pay almost 30% of the total cost of a house as taxes," he said.

Mantri added that a house is a social need and no one wants to stay in a rented place for long. "Due to unaffordability of houses, many industrial houses and IT companies were shifting base from Maharashtra, or were not keen to set up here. Once their employees start getting affordable houses, these industries will come back to Maharashtra," he said

BJP to reward Maharashtra with Rs 37,000 crore infrastructure push

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) win in Maharashtra is likely to stoke a fresh lease of life in infrastructure projects worth Rs 37,118 crore across sectors such as highways, ports and shipping and Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

These projects are being monitored from the cabinet secretariat level with the state government, and, now, with the BJP set to assume power in the state, they are likely to get expedited.

"The government is actively considering projects worth Rs 11 lakh crore in all, which will be facilitated soon. By March next year, each ministry will have their own Apps to help track all project applications and processes online," said Anil Swarup, additional secretary, cabinet secretariat.

In Maharashtra, major infrastructure projects are likely to get a push. Indiabulls SEZ is a multi-product SEZ worth Rs 14,650 crore that is being reviewed. The SEZ is spread across 1,011.26 hectares at Sinnar, Nashik.

The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation has leased out the land for 95 years. The SEZ will have manufacturing industries across sectors such as auto and auto ancillary,pharmaceuticals (formulations), light engineering and electronics, electrical and aviation and ancillary.

Two road and highways projects worth about Rs 12,000 crore are being reviewed by the central government. One of them is the Rs 9,630 crore Mumbai trans harbour link, and, the other, the Rs 2,538-crore L&T East West Tollway project.

The trans-harbour link project envisages the construction of a 22-km sea link, a six- lane road bridge from Sewri on the Mumbai side to Chirle on NH4B in Nhava on the mainland.

It also includes the construction of interchanges at Sewri on the Mumbai side and at Shivaji Nagar and at Chirle on mainland side. L&T East West Tollway is carrying out the four-laning of Amravati- Jalgaon section of the NH 6.

Three port projects, worth Rs 10,300 crore, are also being expedited. The Rs 1,800 crore Alewadi Port, a greenfield container port, is one. The project is expected to create 3,000 jobs during the construction phase and around 1,000 jobs during the operation phase.

The Rs 6,000 crore Rewas Port, being proposed by the Maharashtra Maritime Board, a state government undertaking, has proposed a mega port within the Mumbai harbour region – is the other. The Rs 2,500 crore Vijaydurg Port is the third project

100% FDI may put CST-Panvel fast railwar corridor on track

Will the Harbour line get a fast corridor under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s approval of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the railway sector? Though the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST)-Panvel Fast Corridor on this line has not been approved by the Indian Railways, officials say there is a possibility of getting the Rs 14,000-crore project on track under this scheme.

Planning it big: The Railways propose to run 8-car air-conditioned trains on the CST-Panvel fast corridor. File pic for representaion

“The idea is good as availability of government land is not much of a problem for this project. The main issue is that until now, the fast corridor project has not been approved by the rail ministry,” said a railway official who did not want to be identified. Recently, PM Modi had said that the Railways have been granted clearance for 100 per cent FDI, and therefore they should come up with a comprehensive plan for facilitating it in the sector.

Until now, government officials from China and Japan have visited India and conducted extensive talks about the Mumbai- Ahmedabad High Speed Corridor. Some railway officials are skeptical, however, as there is no clarity on this scheme and the nitty-gritties for it are yet to be decided.

“There were talks of using the scheme for procuring rakes and other technological necessities. But there is no clear-cut direction of how this FDI scheme will work,” said a senior railway official.

Moreover, there is also a view that with such high investment, the chances of returns for the private players are not lucrative.

Railway officials also feel that land availability is a major issue, as land required for the project is either owned by private developers or those with political affiliations. So until the government gets hold of the plots for the project, revenue generation for private players will be quite difficult. Normally, worldwide, around 60 per cent of income is generated from the fare box while rest is taken from commercial use of real estate around the rail lines.

Initial plan
As per the initial plan, 10 stations were to be constructed for the CST-Panvel fast corridor, for which work was expected to be started this year, had approvals been in place. The Railways were to use air space for commercial and office use, which was expected to generate around R550 crore. In case of delays in work, the amount expected to be generated just from real estate development of this space could touch Rs 1,800 crore by 2021.

The Railways propose to run 8-car air-conditioned trains on this route that can carry 21,000 passengers each way during peak hour peak direction traffic (PHPDT) by 2019, and 39,000 passengers by 2031.

Of the 49 kms, around 42.4 kms will be elevated. One arm of the corridor, about 8.5 km, will go towards the proposed Navi Mumbai airport in Panvel.

21,000 Number of passengers the 8-car AC trains is expected to carry on the CST-Panvel route each way during peak hour peak direction traffic by 2019; expected to reach 39,000 commuters by 2031

Shilphata May be The Next Biggest Residential Belt in Navi Mumbai

When it comes to housing in Mumbai, some of the current hotspots are Mira Road and Ghodbunder Road. There are several reasons such as affordability, good connectivity and growing infrastructure leading to real estate growth in these areas. Similar to these areas in Mumbai, Shilphata has the potential to become the next residential hotspot belt in Navi Mumbai.

Shilphata area profile

Shilphata is a strategic area lying between Thane and Navi Mumbai. It lies on the intersection of NH-4 and SH-76, with neighbouring areas such as Mumbra in Thane, Airoli, Ghansoli, Kopar Khairane and the MIDCarea near Vashi. The area also connects the upcoming areas of Dombivli and Kalyan to the industrial areas of Kharghar and Vashi via theKalyan-Shilphata Road. Some of the other important roads in the area are Kalyan-Shilphata Road and Shilphata Mahape Road. Due to these roads, Shilphata acts as a gateway to Navi Mumbai for people coming from Thane and Kalyan-Dombivli areas. There are regular buses plying this area from Thane and Navi Mumbai.

The area is yet to be developed in terms of social infrastructure, civic amenities and housing. There are plans to improve the rail connectivity to the area. The planned monorail line between Mahape and Kalyan will pass through the area. Currently, there is also a shortage of drinking water and electricity in Shilphata. If developed properly, these problems too may be resolved.

Real estate trends

The biggest deterrent for Shilphata’s real estate development is the current lack of civic amenities and social infrastructure. Yet, this has not deterred developers from coming into this area. There are already several projects available by developers such as Gajra Group, Marathon, Lodha Group and Runwal Group. The most common apartment configurations in the area are 1 and 2BHK apartments. Most of these apartments are sought after by employees in the nearby industrial zones. The typical built area of a 1BHK apartment is about 630-835 sq. ft. and that of a2BHK apartment is about 800-1,100 sq. ft.

While one may buy a 1BHK apartment for about Rs 30-50 lakh, a 2BHK apartment may be bought for about Rs 35-55 lakh. The approximate property values in the area are in the range of Rs 4,300-5,700 per sq. ft. If the infrastructure is developed properly, the locality’s real estate will gain a big boost.

Shilphata has a huge potential in terms of real estate growth, primarily due to its strategic location and good road connectivity. With proper development, it may become the next Ghodbunder Road and Mira Road.

Navi Mumbai airport project gains pace

Navi Mumbai : The much-awaited international airport project in Navi Mumbai gained momentum as most of the disgruntled villagers have fallen in line, literally. The City and Industrial Development Corporation has set the deadline for submitting consent letter on October 6.

“More and more people have come forward to make the airport project a grand success,” said a CIDCO official, adding many more are expected to submit their consent letters in coming days. Now, the villagers were keen to co-operate for the on-going survey and hence there was no need for police deployment for survey, said another CIDCO official.

Those villagers who were opposing the government’s land deal offer from the beginning, realised that the CIDCO’s airport relief package is better than the compensation under Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, said a source familiar with the development. As the deadline neared, the Metro One in New Panvel was opened on Sunday for accepting consent letter from villagers and would be open on Monday despite being a public holiday.

According to sources at deputy collector office, Raigad, the planning agency had so far received 600 of the 1,350 consent letters and nearly 50% of the R&R (relief and rehabilitation) letters. The houses which were constructed before September 2013 will be counted in the R&R survey.

“Even villagers from Paragon Koli, who were opposing till the last moment, now they were willing to co-operate for the on-going survey,” said a highly placed source.

After visiting deputy collector office, Raigad, it was revealed that CIDCO officials were ready to extend all possible help to villagers including affidavits and any other legal help.

As completing the process of acquisition within two years from the date of notification is nearing the deadline, there is still scope for completing the process of accepting letters and settling claims, said a source who wanted not to be named. As per Navi Mumbai International Airport package, the CIDCO has offered 22.5% developed plots as compensation to project affected people, whose land would be acquired. The State government has offered 22.5% of developed plot with an average floor index space (FSI) of 2.

The villagers would get FSI of 1.5 for 12.5% of developed land and 2.5% for the remaining 10% developed land.

The CIDCO is hopeful that airport deal scheme would be accepted by as the Navi Mumbai airport becomes a reality.

Indra Bhadra

Navi Mumbai airport work to start from Jan 2015

City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) plans to start pre-development works including relocation of power transmission lines and reclamation of site of land for the Navi Mumbai airport from January.

The pre-development works will commence upon completion of land acquisition later this month.

Pre development and will take over a year for completion and are estimated to cost over Rs 2,000 crore. According to CIDCO's planning the first phase of Rs 14,500 crore Navi Mumbai airport will ready from December 2018.

"We have split the pre development works in parts. Our officials are fine tuning the details with Indian Institute of Technology,'' a senior CIDCO official. Bids for the works will be issued next week, sources said.

Works include reclamation of marsh land, increasing height of land from 0-2 metres to 5 metres above mean sea level, flattening of hillocks, diversion of Ulwe river and relocation of power transmission lines.

The pre development works will be funded by CIDCO and the cost will be included in total airport project cost.

CIDCO is likely to opt for underground cable network in the airport area instead of merely relocating overhead transmission lines through alternate patch of land. This is being proposed as underground cabling will not require much land. A final decision is yet to be taken on the issue.

"Tata Power has got four lines of 220 KV / 110 KV passing through the area. We have given two options to CIDCO - either divert the lines away from the stipulated zone of the airport or convert them into underground cable system bypassing the airport zone. Tata Power would prefer the option of diversion since in that case, the lines can later be upgraded whenever required. However in the public interest, we will accept the option two of underground cable system,'' a Tata Power spokesperson said.

Mumbai's second airport project has been long delayed due to environment clearance issues and land acquisition problems.

But in a positive development last week Bombay High Court directed project affected persons to accept the compensation plan offered by the government by October 6.

CIDCO expects land acquisition process to be complete by October-end. Bidders too have to submit request for qualification (RFQ) documents by October 30.

About 671 hectares of private land is still to be acquired and officials are hopeful of completing the acquisition process by October end.

The project's total land requirement is 2,268 hectares. About 1160 hectares will be used for aeronautical purposes (construction of terminals, runway, taxiway etc).

Cidco starts alignment work for Metro Line II, III

Navi Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) has started the alignment work for line II and III of the Metro corridor to complete the connectivity from Belapur to Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA). 

Sources said, Cidco has also proposed that MIDC will share the cost of a short stretch of the metro (line III) of around 2km connecting Pendhar to Taloja MIDC, as the land belongs to the MIDC. 

The ongoing line I of the Metro, which covers a distance of 11.1km, will connect Belapur station to Pendhar. Line II will connect Pendhar to Taloja MIDC, while line III will start from Taloja MIDC and connect to Khandeshawar railway station via Kalamboli — a distance of 8.35km. 

The line III, in all likelihood, will be aligned with the Sion-Panvel highway from Kalamboli towards Khandeshwar. There will be another extension from Khandeshwar to the Panvel side of the airport. Sources said that authorities are contemplating whether the connectivity should be underground or over the station. 

The distance from Khandeshwar to Panvel will be known once the alignment is worked out. 

Cidco will fund the entire project except for the proposal to share the cost with MIDC for the short stretch. The project cost and other details for line II and III are yet to be worked out. The Metro line I project cost is pegged at Rs 2,850 crore. 

CIDCO’s recently launched Swapnapurti housing scheme in Kharghar at market prise

The per sq ft rate in CIDCO’s recently launched Swapnapurti housing scheme at Kharghar is more or less the same, if not higher, than the current market rate in the area

Aiming to create affordable residential complexes in Navi Mumbai, the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO) had said that its housing schemes would meet the needs of people from the lower economic strata.

The site of the project. The flats are expected to be ready by 2015

However, if the rates fixed for recent schemes offered by the housing agency are any indication, this does not seem to be the case. The per sq ft rate in CIDCO’s recently launched Swapnapurti housing scheme in Kharghar is no different from the existing market prices in the area.

The flats that are being developed by CIDCO at Kharghar’s Sector 36 cost more or less the same, if not higher, than the prevailing market rate there. Under the scheme, CIDCO is offering 3,154 homes through a lottery system, at a price of Rs 5,124 per sq ft (308 sq ft for Rs 15.78 lakh).

The government categorically mentions that flats have to be sold on carpet area. The market rate around the site, which is close to Taloja, is between Rs 4,500 and Rs 5,500. A local builder said, “The CIDCO project is not in Kharghar, but closer to Taloja.

They claim it’s Kharghar, but the proposed Taloja Metro is just a stone’s throw from the site. The existing rate around the site is between Rs 4,500 and Rs 5,500 in residential towers.”

CIDCO speak
CIDCO officials, however, claim that the rates offered by them are cheaper than the market price. “The response that we have received from the people shows that our scheme is affordable. From the time of its launch on August 1, over 1.5 lakh booklets have already been sold,” said Sanjay Bhatia, managing director, CIDCO.

The project is spread over 7.97 hectares and CIDCO will build 2,450 flats for the lower income groups (LIG) in 32 buildings of 15 floors each and 704 flats for the economically weaker groups (EWG) in 22 buildings having 7 floors each.

The project is expected to be completed by 2016. The area of the homes is 28.6 sq m for EWS and 34.36 sq m for LIG and the prices are Rs 15.78 lakh and Rs 23.19 lakh respectively.