NASHIK: The cash-strapped Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC), in order to increase its revenue, has decided to develop shopping complexes and malls on lands owned by the civic body in as many as 10 locations.
Public amenities like schools, hospitals and divisional offices are also to be developed in the complexes. The general body of the NMC recently gave its approval to the proposal of the civic administration to develop a shopping complex under public-private-partnership (PPP) model.
The NMC will not need to spend any money on the projects from its coffers as it will be developed on PPP basis. Around 40% of the constructed areas will be given to the NMC that will either be leased out or used for school, hospitals and other purposes.
The developers will use 60% of the constructed areas and will hand it over to the civic body after 30 years. The NMC has its own vacant plots and old properties in the city.
“If we develop these properties on our own, it will take more time. But we can develop these properties on a PPP basis in just two years. Moreover, we can get more revenue through leasing the properties and we also get public amenities like schools, hospitals and divisional offices while constructing shopping complexes,” municipal commissioner Kailas Jadhav said.
An NMC official said earlier the civic administration had appointed an agency to prepare a blueprint about the shopping complexes along with public amenities at 10 different locations.
“But after protest by a section of corporators, we stayed the work order to the concerned private consultant. Now, we will carry out a bidding process to deploy a consultancy agency for the purpose. The tender is to be floated within a couple of weeks. The consultancy agency concerned will have to prepare a complete blueprint about the project,” he added.
The revenue of the civic body through various taxes like property, water and town planning have been badly affected due Covid-19 pandemic. The NMC has estimated a drop of Rs 300 crore in the revenue for the current financial year.
