Nagpur: Vidarbha Taxpayers Association (VTA) received letter from Urban Development Department (UDD), Government of Maharashtra, Mumbai bearing No. TPS-2416/S.N.NG-138/2016/NAVI-9 in June 2016 addressed to Municipal Commissioner NMC, Nagpur with copy to VTA with specific instructions to prepare & submit fresh findings on the current situation on Regulation no. 13.6.2 – No Shopping Frontage Roads of Development Control Regulations (DCR), which restricts commercial user on 24 major roads of Nagpur City.
Accordingly VTA’s delegation led by its secretary Tejinder Singh Renu met Shravan Hardikar – Municipal Commissioner and submitted detailed findings of current situation on these major roads and its impact on the new building sanction.
VTA also dispatched memorandum to Devendra Fadnavis – Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Dr. Ranjit Patil – Minister of State UDD, Dr. Nitin Kareer – Principal Secretary UDD, Vijay Shende – Director Town Planning Pune and Dr. Deepak Mhaisekar – Chairman NIT.
It’s a matter of record that VTA had filed PIL No. 63/2013 on this issue before judicature of Bombay High Court, Nagpur Bench and in this PIL the State Government did modified the said Regulation by Notification dated October 19, 2013 bearing No. TPS-2412-C.O.N.-7-CR-2013-UD-9, however introduced more illogical provision by demanding double parking for commercial area due to which the basement parking falls short and ground floor is also required for the parking, but then Commercial is only permitted on Ground floor, so it becomes non-feasible.
Renu submitted to Municipal Commissioner that these 24 roads are quite wide, which means good commercial buildings like commercial complex, multiplex, hospitals, etc can come on these roads and with restriction of only ground floor commercial the project goes nonviable. Thereby compelling shops to be constructed in inner small roads and as they are already narrow in size, thus causing further congestion. Such unpractical provisions promote illegal usage, including considerable revenue loss to the state exchequer, which can certainly be avoided.
VTA requested State Government that in the interest city’s development this useless provision on these 24 roads should be deleted instantly, as no other city in State has such irrational regulation, which rather benefiting is causing harm to the development of the City, moreover encouraging illegal usage of buildings, which shall promote litigation in coming future.
Municipal Commissioner Shravan Hardikar assured VTA that NMC will soon dispatch its say to UDD after gathering further details. Others present in the meeting were VTA’s Joint Secretary – Hemant Trivedi, Executive Body Members Amarjeet Singh Chawla and Saqib Parekh.
