MUMBAI, Dec. 12 -- With two final phases of local body polls on the anvil, the state government has announced yet another amnesty scheme for residents of over 20,000 buildings in Mumbai seeking occupation certificates (OC). They can now seek a 50% waiver on payments of premium charges on fungible area and floor space index (FSI) utilised. Additionally, societies applying for the OC will also get a complete waiver from the penalty levied over the delay in obtaining the OC if applied within six months of the announcement of the scheme. This was among the various announcements made by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, who also heads the housing department, in the legislative Assembly on Thursday. Shinde said that the amnesty would offer respite to over 2.5 lakh families and over one million residents living in these buildings without OCs, classified as unauthorised occupants. A building faces difficulties in getting OC, because of the violation of the FSI resulting in the illegal construction, violation of the road setback compliance and open space rules. This was illustrated in the case of Willingdon View CHS in Tardeo, where over 31 families from 17-34 floors had to vacate their flats on August 27, following a Bombay high court order of July 15, as the society had failed to acquire a full OC and a fire NOC. Shinde said that an exemption of 50% will be offered on the prevailing ready reckoner rates while calculating premium charges for fungible area and additional use of the FSI, and added that the saleable and rehabilitation components will be separated in the redevelopment project to facilitate OCs. "If the flat owners wish to go for individual OCs, they will be allowed to do so through a separate process. Instructions have already been given to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to initiate the process," said Shinde. He also said that the state plans to implement the scheme in other municipal corporations too, and added that the same will be extended to schools and hospitals that feature in the list of unauthorized constructions. Similar schemes launched by the state over the last two decades failed to elicit any response from flat owners due to many inter-departmental rigmaroles. "Illegal constructions by builders are beyond regularisation and thus giving them go-ahead to regularise them becomes difficult. The government is doubtful about the response this time too," said an official from the urban development department....