MMRDA has decided to transform all upcoming commercial hubs into smart cities

To woo more investors and get premium pricing for land, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has decided to transform all upcoming commercial hubs into smart cities.

A smart city will have public Wi-Fi, integrated CCTV camera network, smart parking system, solar lighting apps to find utilities, among other things. 

For this, the MMRDA has identified 

Panvel, 

Kalyan, 

Alibaug-Pen, 

Bhiwandi and 

Vasai-Virar, 

which will be connected to Navi Mumbai International airport through the proposed Virar-Alibaug multimodal corridor (VAMC).

“To strengthen the brand value of commercial hubs, we need to add as many components as possible. We want the hubs to be equipped with advanced facilities before they are made operational,” said UPS Madan, MMRDA commissioner.

Last month, a think tank from South Korea came up with a proposal to create these centres along the VAMC.

The MMRDA has already undertaken the Smart BKC project, where the Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) is set to be developed as a smart city by next year.

The smart city project is being implemented on build-operate- transfer (BOT) mode. The MMRDA issued tenders for the BKC project in October, but the authority will have to start afresh as the state government has suggested a few changes.

“The information technology department wants the number of people working on the project to be reduced. So we are going to invite fresh tenders,” Madan said.

While the Wadala Truck Terminus (WTT) area is also set to be developed as a smart city, the MMRDA is not keen about going ahead with the project in the Oshiwara district centre, as it involves acquisition of a large chunk of private land.

There could, however, be one more commercial hub in Kanjurmarg.

Illegal constructions thrive in Panvel as officials pass the buck

NAVI MUMBAI: The civic body and town planning authority continue to pass the buck, even as illegal construction of residential buildings continues to flourish in Panvel, including the 23 villages that are part of Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (Naina) land.

Officials from the revenue department had identified 35 illegal buildings in Panvel area and asked City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) to demolish them. According to a report submitted by revenue officials to Cidco last week, 35 buildings have already come up without requisite permissions from the concerned departments.

They include Nine buildings in Vichumbe, 10 in Devad, two in Shivkar, Usaly Khurd, Chiple and Adai each, 3 in Akurli and Nere each and one each in Vihighar and Harigram. "We have sent the list to Cidco for further action. We will continue our search for illegal buildings," said a revenue official from Panvel circle office.

An official from the office of Chief Controller of Unauthorized Construction (CUC) confirmed the receipt of the report, but wondered why the revenue department officials had not demolished the buildings earlier by exercising the existing authority vested on them.

"Unless our draft plan is approved by the government, we cannot distinguish the legal and illegal buildings in question," added the CUC official.

After Cidco was appointed as the special planning authority for 270 villages under Naina in 2012, it prepared a draft plan for the interim development of the area, which is awaiting government approval. Cidco officials expect the government to okay the plan in January.

With land prices sky-rocketing in Panvel due to the Naina project, residents said many local builders have started illegal constructions without obtaining necessary NOCs and other permission from authorities.

"Some illegal structures have already three to four floors and flats have been sold to buyers. Corrupt officials are hand-in-glove with builders to cheat the buyers. It's time for the authorities to stop the illegal constructions," said Rajesh Chaudhari, resident.

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.”

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

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

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).

Navi Mumbai to soon be a hub for affordable housing

If you are planning to buy a house soon, Navi Mumbai will soon be a good place to look. In the next nine months, 4,750 acres of land is going to be available for residential construction due to a change in policy.

Where did this land come from?
The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) recently issued a notification freeing 350 hectares (875 acres) of 1,500 hectares of land for residential construction. Earlier, this land was a regional planning zone, where most plots and its surrounding areas were reserved for the government to build gardens, schools, hospitals, etc. "The 350 hectares now mostly belong to private owners. Now, land owners can apply for conversion and develop it as per their convenience," said senior Cidco official requesting anonymity.

Cidco has earmarked another 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of land to rehabilitate those affected by the Navi Mumbai airport project. Cidco will rehabilitate them by giving them 22.5 per cent of developed land near Ulwe and its surrounding areas. Cidco has also decided to develop a modern township called Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA), close to the new airport in Panvel taluka on 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) of land.

Asia's biggest township in NaMu soon
NAINA will be well-planned and is being touted as Asia's biggest township. It will be developed in the next five years in a phase-wise manner on a public-private partnership model.

How much will these houses cost?
Arvind Goel, president of the Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry (MCHI), Navi Mumbai Unit, welcomed Cidco's decision of converting the reserved land for residential purposes. "It is good news for developers and potential buyers. Because of the availability of so much land, large numbers of affordable houses will be constructed. These houses will be in the Rs 40-60 lakh bracket," said Goel.

Manohar Shroff, general secretary of MCHI, Navi Mumbai said, "Land prices are going through the roof, so developers were compelled to raise property prices. The availability of a huge chunk of land will surely help reduce land prices and subsequently, property prices. The input cost is important in the construction business."

Development should by eco-friendly: Real estate expert

Atul Nemade, a real estate expert, said that it was good news that some much land is going to be available for housing. "But the development should be sustainable and eco-friendly. It shouldn't just be a concrete jungle, or there will be chaos. Besides, the state government controls the prices and development," said Nemade.

Navi Mumbai Airport PAP : 17 plots allotted in Cidco’s second draw

NAVI MUMBAI: The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) allotted 17 more plots in the proposed Pushpak  Nagar township during the second lottery draw on Tuesday. 

In the second lottery draw, the 17 project affected persons (PAPs), who were allotted the plots, are from Owale, Pargaon, Pargaon-Dungi, Dapoli and Wahal villages. They have been allotted the plots in different demarcated blocks. 

While, nine plots were allotted to PAPs from Owale, two plots were given to Pargaon and Daopoli PAPs each, three to Pargaon-Dungi PAPs and one to a PAP from Wahal. 

The first lottery was held on August 15, wherein 33 plots were allotted by a lottery draw system. 

Cidco has received 85 consent letters till July 23, the cut-off date. 

According to Cidco officials, they still have to get around 450 more consent letters from the villagers affected by airport project. 

Panvel Makeover : 5 roads to be concertized

NAVI MUMBAI: If everything goes as planned, Panvel citizens will be able to avoid traffic snarls at key junctions. 

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has cleared a Rs 161-crore makeover plan for the town, including road widening, building flyovers and bridges over Ghadi and Kalundre rivers.

Five city roads will be concretized by Panvel Municipal Council (PMC) through MMRDA funds pegged at Rs 46 crore. "The two bodies will share responsibility over the road works," said a PMC official.

Both ends of the new flyover that passes through Panvel city to connect Pune and Goa highways are narrow. This is seriously hindering vehicular movements. Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has recently approved required funds for some of the major infrastructure projects.

MMRDA has sanctioned Rs 161 crore for widening of the narrow highway portion, along with additional bridges over the two rivers. Flyovers will also be constructed to ease traffic flow. The two-lane corridors will be converted into four lanes at different stretches.

"It was a long-pending issue. The flyover helped clear traffic near bus depot but the approach roads continue to face snarls," said Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur.

Besides, MMRDA will convert the two-lane road to four, from Khanda Colony to MGM, on its own to do away with traffic bottleneck. MMRDA will commence work on widening the stretch between Taka Colony and Palspe Phata two-lane road to provide seamless travel. Apart from this, an additional two-lane bridge will be built on the rivers. Rs 47 crore will be spent for all these work.

Four additional flyovers got administrative approval with a fund of Rs 68 crore. They will come up along the traffic-prone stretch at Navda Phata, Kalamboli node, Kalamboli junction and Palaspe Phata.

According to MMRDA sources, work on all the projects will begin in the next two months.

Physical possession of the Navi Mumbai airpoland is expected to be completed by September'2014

MUMBAI: Notices for land acquisition for the 226-acre core area for the Navi Mumbai international airport will be issued from Tuesday. The land is largely owned by villagers and is spread over eight villages. The acquisition will be carried out by the Raigad collector.

Cidco officials said physical possession of the land is expected to be completed by September.

"In phase I, for compensation distribution, we received 46 consent letters, and 11 more people have come forward after closure of the process. Plots have been marked and allotments will be done through a lottery. The first assignment of plots to project-affected people will be done on August 15,'' sources said.

Once the land is acquired, the process of reclamation, hill-cutting and diversion of the Ulwe river will be undertaken in the core area.

Bids for the airport's construction will be issued within three months and the process will be completed within eight months. Thereafter, the bidder will have to take over the construction process, including whatever remains of reclamation and hill-cutting, officials said.

"Currently, the rehab area for over 2,500 families who are to be compensated with a house (they do not own land) is being developed. This is apart from landowners who will be rehabilitated at Pushpak Nagar, which is also under development,'' the officials said. Landless families will be rehabilitated in Wadghar and Wahal villages.

Another challenge for the airport construction is the shifting of high tension lines owned by Tata Power and the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL), which is underway.

With all requisite permission in place, officials said the airport should be ready to operate by 2017. The project cost has gone up from Rs 4,766 crore in 2006 to Rs 14,573 crore. It is being planned as a green airport with water bodies, riverfront development, a mangrove park and a forest spread over 600 hectares.

Nhava Sheva special economic zone approved in India

Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust has won approval from the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry for Phase I of its long-planned port-based special economic zone project, paving the way for increased export volumes at India’s largest container gateway.

Officials said the project, a first-of-its-kind at a major port complex in the country, would be developed on 227 hectares of land along the Panvel-Uran road connecting the cargo terminals to state highways.

“With India’s No. 1 container port, upcoming dedicated freight corridor and the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport, JNPT-SEZ will be in a unique advantageous position,” an official statement said.

JNPT, also known as Nhava Sheva, had earlier acquired about 2,500 hectares of land for its long-term development plans. Several leading container carriers offering regular calls at the west coast hub have also leased land from the port authority to set up their dedicated container storage facilities.

JNPT, which moves more than 50 percent of all container cargo moving through India’s major state-owned ports, encompasses three container facilities — APM Terminals Mumbai, DP World-operated Nhava Sheva International Container Terminal and port-run Jawaharlal Nehru Container Terminal — with a combined capacity of about 4.2 million 20-foot-equivalent units. 

Dedicated freight corridor gives railways the jitters

The project, which the prime minister’s office is monitoring closely, is clashing with several other multi-crore projects at Panvel; authorities need to acquire more land to accommodate the corridor there

A pet project of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has become a bone of contention for the railway authorities. The Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC), which is being developed to provide a special network for freight trains, will pass through Panvel where several other multi-crore projects are also converging: these include the proposed CST-Panvel fast corridor, upcoming airport at Navi Mumbai, suburban sections on the Virar-Vasai-Diva-Panvel line and finally, construction of the Panvel Coaching complex which is meant for carrying out maintenance work of trains and other amenities.

Platform numbers 3 and 4 on Panvel will be converted into the DFC and four new platforms will be added to run trains to Karjat and Virar. File pic

The western corridor of DFC passes through Panvel and then proceeds towards Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). 

The other schemes some of which were announced in previous budgets will also be in and around Panvel station. Sources in railways said that they are worried about a multitude of schemes clashing with each other. “The alignment of DFC is close to the proposed suburban fast corridor and the coaching complex. So, we will need additional land from CIDCO, for which discussions with them are underway,” said a Central Railway official.

The DFC is being carved out as a network for container and cargo trains so they can transport goods and commodities faster, without any passenger trains coming in their way (see box for details). 

Officials explained that the existing railway station at Panvel would be expanded for the purpose of adding more platforms for the proposed CST-Panvel fast corridor and Virar-Vasai-Diva-Panvel lines. Apart from this, connectivity is also planned for the proposed airport coming in Navi Mumbai.

Amidst all this, they will require extra land for DFC. “We will be needing nearly 36 hectares of land from CIDCO and several others from other agencies and private parties,” said an official from Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd, a subsidiary railway body created to look into the nitty-gritty of the project. As of May, they had acquired 442 hectares of land, that too only in Maharashtra.

Initially, several villages in the area had opposed the DFC, fearing loss of land. Gradually, these issues were taken care of. “We are examining the various projects proposed by the railways. The meeting regarding the coaching complex also went well and land will be allotted accordingly,” said a senior official from CIDCO.

Meanwhile, Central Railway has given an in-principle nod for four new platforms at the Panvel suburban section, which will be used for Panvel-Virar and Panvel-Karjat routes.  

Authorities will convert the current suburban platform numbers 3 and 4 into the DFC, and build four additional platforms for running trains to Virar and Karjat. 

It is likely that in the rail budget that will be presented today, the DFC will be allocated certain amounts of money.

Dedicated Freight Corridor

>> It was proposed under the 11th Five Year Plan (2007-2012) by the Ministry of Railways, and the PMO is directly overseeing its progress
>> It will transport containers, commodities at a maximum speed of 100 kmph, reducing travel time by one-third
>> The entire 3,300-km dedicated rail corridor is divided into two parts: western and eastern. The western corridor stretches from JNPT to Nhava Sheva, through Panvel, and then goes into neighbouring states