Civic engineers get FSI training in Mumbai

Civic engineers attended workshops to deal with projects by using the proposed floor space index (FSI) policy.

Last month, municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar proposed to charge 100% premium on the 25% additional space utilised by builders above the sanctioned FSI in their projects. These areas include staircases, flower beds, balconies, car decks and terraces. The government has already issued notification and invited suggestions and objections.

R Kuknur, chief engineer of BMC’s development planning department, said they conducted a one-week workshop to train building proposal department engineers on the policy.
“Our focus is on the use of the proposed FSI, transport of development right, Maharashtra Regional Development Act and so on,” he said.

Building proposals and developmental planning department officials said the norms are quite complicated. “It needs training to understand the issues so that BMC engineers will able to use the FSI, its concession and free-of-FSI components,” said a senior official, requesting anonymity.

Ramesh Jadhav, an engineer in the building proposal department, said the BMC should conduct such workshops regularly. “Urbanisation is changing each day and we should have rules to deal with changing city design. We will be able to stop the loot of FSI and TDR misuse and other government rules,” he said.