The state has granted location clearance to 30 integrated townships, most of them in the Pune Metropolitan Region.
Of them, 12 are in the construction stage. Eight of these townhips are in the Pune region, according to the latest figures available with the town planning department.
In 2018, the government had relaxed the landholding rules by amending the Maharashtra Agriculture Lands (ceiling on holding) Act, 1961. Since then, proposals have increased from developers, maximum of them being from Pune, followed by Thane, Raigad, and Konkan areas, said urban department officials.
Though many developers have evinced interest in integrated township projects, the response has not been much across the state as these projects are restricted to certain pockets.
As per the amendment, there is now no restriction on developers holding more than 54 acres. The amendment allows developers to buy unlimited acres of land for development of integrated townships and construction of affordable houses in Maharashtra. The earlier provisions of the Land Ceiling Act prevented a single buyer from acquiring more than 54 acres.
While the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) has received proposals for around 13 integrated townships, the rest are spread across Thane and Raigad districts in Konkan division, and in the Nagpur division, said an official of the town planning department.
“We should see more such proposals from peripheral areas, with large-scale infrastructure projects being planned on the outskirts,’’ said a senior town planning official. The two years of the pandemic slowed down the response from most parts of the state, except Pune, Mumbai and Thane, he added.
Credai national chairman Satish Magar said the post-pandemic demand and supply of integrated townships had only increased as people feel more secure in such townships. “These integrated townships not only provide housing, but also overall infrastructure facilities. They also boost the overall infrastructure of the surrounding areas, too, as a developer is responsible for the overall development and infrastructure, which includes providing water, and developing roads,” he said.
Another property watcher said with the amendment in place, there was no bar on developers taking up huge tracts of land for construction. The government should monitor the usage and action should be initiated in case of discrepancies, if rules were not followed regarding integrated townships, he stressed.
