‘Raise FSI to stop Mumbai from choking’

MUMBAI: To alleviate the city’s housing problems, authorities will have to seriously consider reclamation or an increase in the floor space index (FSI), which currently stands at 1.33. The recommendation was made by Deepak Parekh, chairman of the Housing Development Finance Corporation, during a panel discussion on Tuesday. The event, titled ‘India in an Era of Rapid Urbanisation: Challenges Facing Infrastructure, Resources and Housing’, was organised by Columbia University and the Asia Society, India Centre, at the Taj.

“When 55 per cent of the city’s population is residing in slums, it is obvious that the rules and regulations are antiquated and cannot tackle current housing problems,” Parekh said.

He said that although buildings are standing on reclaimed land, the city had not seen further reclamation in the past 20 years because authorities feared protests from environmentalists.

Adi Godrej, chairman of the Godrej Group, agreed with Parekh and said the government could recover the cost of infrastructure by levying a higher tax for raising the FSI. “The tax so collected can be used for slum rehabilitation schemes and for improving infrastructure,” Godrej said.

“The problem also has to do with zoning,” he said. “With business and residential sectors located in different areas, people spend a lot of time travelling.”

There were others, however, who sounded a note of dissent. Ernest Fernandes, who has lived in Bandra for over 25 years, said: “It would be wrong to assume that all of the city’s woes are caused by low FSI. Why have development plans for infrastructure such as roads not been implemented?”

Mohan Shah, another Mumbai resident, said the government could think of promoting satellite townships.