The Maharashtra government proposed replacing the 10-year restriction on the sale, lease or transfer of homes to be allotted under the Dharavi urban renewal scheme, changing the rules governing how beneficiaries can deal with their homes after allotment.

Under the proposed amendment, transfer restrictions would instead be governed by the Maharashtra Rent Control Act until a cooperative housing society is formed, and thereafter by the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act.

The proposal is among four changes to Regulation 33(9)(A) of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR), 2034, governing redevelopment in the Dharavi Notified Area.

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At present, a home allotted under the scheme cannot be sold, leased, assigned or transferred for 10 years from the date of possession, except to a legal heir. A breach can result in the tenement being taken over by the Dharavi Redevelopment Project (DRP) or Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA).

The proposal is contained in a notice issued by the Urban Development Department on July 1 under Section 37(1AA) of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act. It has not yet taken effect.

The notice had invited objections and suggestions, with the Deputy Director of Town Planning, Greater Mumbai, authorised to hear them and submit a report to the government.

The draft also proposes allowing the final carpet area of a renewal tenement to vary by up to 5 per cent from the entitled area to facilitate the construction grid.

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The remaining two changes bring the Dharavi urban renewal scheme under existing provisions on road width and parking.

Under the road-width rules, a 9-metre-wide road is considered adequate for buildings up to 120 metres high, while a 13-metre-wide road is required for buildings above 120 metres, subject to a no-objection certificate from the Chief Fire Officer. The proposal does not change these requirements but adds the Dharavi scheme to the list of schemes covered by them.

The existing parking norms would similarly apply to the Dharavi scheme. They require one parking space for every eight homes with carpet area up to 45 sq m; one for every four homes above 45 sq m and up to 60 sq m; one for every two homes above 60 sq m and up to 90 sq m; and one for every home above 90 sq m.

The government said the changes are being proposed in the public interest and to facilitate the “effective implementation” of the Dharavi redevelopment project.