Come April 1 eco-housing norms could be made mandatory for all new constructions in the state. Chief minister Ashok Chavan while addressing a seminar on eco housing, organised by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) on Tuesday, said that environmental issues are one of the top priorities of his government.
If the government changes its rules of giving permissions to new constructions for implementing eco housing norms, then all new buildings will need to have energy conservation and rain water harvesting units.
“The need of the hour is to take note of the climatic changes recorded around the globe, which unfortunately are not encouraging. Hence, the state is inclined to introduce legal provisions by April 1 for stricter adherence to eco-friendly projects, more so in the housing sector,” Chavan said, urging representatives of the local urban bodies to take action.
Chavan added that environment related issues should not be limited only to seminars in five-star hotels where a few intellectuals discuss them over a cup of tea. “Seminars should deliver solutions that can be implemented. Who would have dreamt that one day cities like Mumbai will face acute water shortage? This has forced us to undertake solutions such as water recycling and desalination,” the chief minister said. “We are also planning to sign a memorandum of understanding with The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) for the forthcoming changes to be implemented.”
Chavan also hinted at restricting the usage of harmful plastic in government offices. “Chandrapur being an industrial hub is the most polluted district in the state. We intend to adhere to stricter norms for polluting industries - even at the cost of loosing the industrial growth to an extent,” he said.
A regulatory body for the revenue sources generation of urban local bodies was on the cards, the chief minister said. “On the lines of Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC), we intend to set up an authority for urban local bodies. The revenue sources for these bodies - property tax and water tax - have remained unchanged for years, thus resulting in these bodies not being able to raise funds for development. The new authority will work closely with state government in finding ways to increase revenue earning sources,” Chavan added.
Another major initiative on part of the state government will be the Nagarothhan Abhiyan under which a special fund will be created for the betterment of municipal councils. “We intend to allot Rs6,000 crore, which will be spent in a period of next five years. This initiative is on the lines of the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and we intend to introduce it keeping in mind the golden jubilee year of Maharashtra,” said Chavan.
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