Navi Mumbai: CIDCO says nothing wrong with sale and auction of CRZ-affected plots

After environmentalists from the city expressed concern over the tender of a piece of land adjoining to NRI complex in the Nerul Seawoods area, which partly falls under the CRZ-1A and CRZ-II, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has clarified that there is no restriction on the sale or auction of CRZ affected plots.

The planning agency says that as per the court order and CRZ notification, statutory permissions have to be obtained from the competent authority, for development in CRZ areas.

Soon after CIDCO floated a tender to auction 16 plots across five nodes of Navi Mumbai including plot number 2A admeasuring 25,138.86 sq. meter plots at sectors 54,56 and 58 in Nerul, environmentalists expressed shock and concern. They have also written to the chief minister and sought his intervention. Even the CMO has directed the UD and environment department to look into the matter.

CIDCO put up a special instruction in the E-Auction section of its website regarding the sale or auction of CRZ-affected plots including the 25,138.86 Sqm Nerul plot.

It stated that there is no restriction on the sale/auction of CRZ-affected plots and as per the Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP) of 2011, approved in 2019, the said plot partly falls in CRZ-IA and CRZ-II and the same is indicated in the Marketing Drawing. It also clarified that in keeping with the CRZ provisions, the said plot is on the landward side of the existing road and there are no mangroves within the said plot. Even, the CRZ-IA area within the said plot is falling in the mangrove buffer area and not within the mangrove area.

Finally, the special instruction stated that it would therefore be the responsibility of the allottee/lessee to take all necessary permissions from competent authorities for development in the CRZ-affected area. It means that the developer or builder buying the plot will have to secure all necessary permissions from MCZMA.

Haresh Chheda, president of the Builders Association says that CIDCO being a government agency should not put up this plot for auction. “Plots being auctioned must be cleared by all government agencies,” said Chheda, adding that as per the rule, the planning agency has not done anything wrong. But it is setting a wrong precedent.

Even a section of developers claim that the plot might fetch a better price if CIDCO has taken all necessary permissions from all concerned agencies before putting it up for auction.