Maharashtra government’s town planning and infrastructure development authority and Airports Authority of India (AAI) will soon take a final decision on height restriction for real estate projects in the vicinity of the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport.
City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) has been following up with AAI and the central government on the matter regarding height NOC (no objection certificate) of buildings in the Navi Mumbai airport project area.
Several approved real estate projects in Mumbai’s satellite city are in a limbo as AAI has announced height restrictions of 55.1 meter above sea mean level (ASML), which comprises 12-13 floors in a building, around a 20-km radius of the upcoming airport.
Height of buildings around airports must be in line with color-coded zoning map (CCZM) that defines the maximum permissible heights for new constructions in different zones around airports.
“We have suggested alternatives jointly along with Navi Mumbai International Airport Ltd and shall be taking up this issue again in the monthly meeting that is normally held under the chairmanship of the secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA),” said Sanjay Mukherjee, vice chairman and managing director of Cidco. “Now that the work of redefining CCZM and the obstacle study is nearly complete, we are hopeful that a solution shall emerge soon.”
Until last year, Cidco was in charge of issuing height certificates to realty developers in Navi Mumbai. However, AAI now holds the authority to issue these height clearance certificates.
Also likely is the revalidation of expired NOCs issued to realty projects and allow development of projects that were approved by the planning authority without insisting on an NOC for height. The exact location for the radar system for the proposed airport is yet to be finalized.
Once the location for the radar system is selected, the exact radius to be covered will be known and there will be clarity on projects in which all locations will have to follow the guidelines, industry experts said. The authorities had earlier zeroed in on two locations in Navi Mumbai for setting up the radar system. However, none of this has been finalized yet and a third location is also being considered now.
Despite higher floor space index (FSI) allowed, many projects in key localities from Nerul to Panvel in Navi Mumbai have been affected by the 55-meter height restriction. Many projects that have already been completed with the earlier height clearances are also required to seek new clearances. For instance, if the project is built up to the height of 70-75 meters, then the upper floors will be termed as unauthorized and Cidco will not be able to issue the occupation certificate (OC) to the project.
