The Maharashtra government on Tuesday announced amendments to the Development Control Rules (DCR) for Mumbai city. The new rules are an attempt to reign in corruption and to minimise discretion while giving building permissions. The amendments would soon be made public through a government order.

Under the new DCR, area used for balconies, flower beds, terraces, voids and niches will be counted in the Floor Space Index (FSI). Earlier, these areas were not counted in the FSI.

Making the announcement on Tuesday, the Chief Minister, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, said that in the earlier DCR, allowing balcony in a flat was left to the discretion of municipal authorities, which led to corruption. The new amendments will put a check to these practices.

Fungible FSI

To compensate for the loss of free FSI areas, the State government will allow compensatory fungible (mutually interchangeable) FSI to the extent of 35 per cent for residential development and 20 per cent for industrial and commercial developments, he said.

Mr Chavan said Fungible FSI will be available at 60 per cent, 80 per cent and 100 per cent of the ready reckoner rates for residential, industrial and commercial premises respectively.

“Fungible FSI would be usable like any other FSI, which can be used for making flower beds and voids or can be used for constructing bigger habitable areas,” he said.

Mr Chavan said that till now balcony used to be a free component in a flat and could only be given on cantilever projection under the DC Regulations. However, there have been cases where balcony has been made without cantilever projection in the past by violating the FSI Rules. Keeping in view that the balcony was being given free of premium, the State government has decided to reduce the rates of premium on fungible FSI to only 60 per cent of the ready reckoner rate, he said.

Premium will not be charged on the fungible FSI, when it is used for redeveloping old cess dilapidated building (over 70 year old). In suburban Mumbai, there are not many old buildings therefore the fungible FSI, on the FSI already consumed in the existing buildings will be available free of premium.

Mr Chavan said car parking would not be counted in the FSI and the builder will have an option to offer 25 per cent more parking to the building residents. For the additional area, premium would not be charged.

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