In a significant move for property owners across Navi Mumbai, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has approved a policy to regularise additional residential units constructed beyond sanctioned plans on bungalow and row-house plots. The decision is expected to unlock several long-pending property transactions and facilitate redevelopment in older residential pockets.
Over the years, many bungalow and row-house properties across Navi Mumbai were subdivided into multiple residential units without obtaining the required approvals from planning authorities. As a result, owners faced difficulties in securing permissions for property transfers, inheritance registration, mortgage approvals and redevelopment proposals.
Under the newly approved policy, such excess residential units can now be regularised upon payment of a penalty. For additional residential units, owners will be required to pay a fee equivalent to 25% of the reserve price of the plot. Cases where residential properties have been converted for commercial use will attract higher penalties.
The decision is expected to accelerate numerous property transactions that have remained stalled due to regulatory hurdles. Following regularisation, affected properties will become eligible for various estate-related services, including transfer permissions, mortgage-related no-objection certificates and succession-related approvals.
CIDCO has clarified that property owners who have complied with all planning regulations and have not undertaken any unauthorised construction will not be required to pay any additional charges. The policy is therefore aimed solely at resolving existing irregularities without imposing a burden on compliant property holders.
The move is also expected to boost redevelopment activity in older Navi Mumbai neighbourhoods, as regularised properties will become eligible for redevelopment approvals under prevailing Development Control Regulations.
The impact is likely to be particularly significant in Vashi’s Sectors 12 and 28, where the issue of additional residential units has remained unresolved for years. Welcoming the decision, BJP leader and corporator Shashikant Raut said many families in these areas would benefit directly, while redevelopment projects that have been delayed due to documentation issues could now move forward.
While the policy addresses longstanding concerns, urban planning experts have emphasised the need for stronger enforcement mechanisms to prevent future unauthorised constructions and ensure planned development across Navi Mumbai.
Source: Loksatta
