High development fee at NAINA gets flak

The decision by the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd to levy very high development fee for permission to develop projects in Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) would be detrimental to the development of the area, Rajesh Prajapati, Managing Director, Prajapati Constructions Ltd, Navi Mumbai, said in a press release.

“The exorbitant development charges will tender affordable housing into a joke as the cost of housing is bound to double. The development fee will translate into cost hike by Rs. 500 per square foot,” Prajapati noted.

He argued that the cost of housing was already high in and around Navi Mumbai and home buyers were looking at outskirts of the city for affordable housing. However, the new levy was bound to make affordable housing shortage even more acute.

“We hope better sense prevails and CIDCO will reconsider their decision, most importantly, in the interest of home buyers who have very few options and nowhere to go,” Prajapati said.

He also drew CIDCO’s attention to widespread illegal construction in NAINA area and said that the planning authority’s new move would further aggravate the housing problem.

The Navi Mumbai International Airport, located over an area of 1,160 hectares of land, is proposed to be developed in four phases. Phase-I envisages the construction of north runway and attached taxiway system, terminal building and concourse (1,15,000 sq. m), 20 contact gates, five remote gates, general aviation apron (23,340 sq. m), technical building and ATC tower, and part of the cargo complex.

Most of the approvals and clearances for the project have been obtained. These include environment and CRZ, defence, and stage-1 forest and wildlife clearance. The Bombay High Court has permitted the clearance of mangroves in the airport area.

The Navi Mumbai Airport is proposed to be developed through PPP. A special purpose vehicle will be formed in which CIDCO and its nominees will hold 26 per cent of the total equity and the rest will be held by the private developer. The LBG-Ineco-Rites consortium, the prime consultant appointed by CIDCO, has prepared the master plan and detailed project report. Hemant Sahai Associates has been appointed as legal service consultant to prepare the necessary transaction documents for the project.