Environment Clearance in Kamothe, Panvel.

As Kamothe's first buildings come up for redevelopment, developers are combining neighbouring plots to build larger. Combined, the new project can exceed the 20,000 square metre mark even when each old building was small. The same happens with commercial buildings that add a mall or offices above shops. We total the floor area the way the notification does (basements, parking and amenities included) before the plots are merged, so the clearance is planned rather than discovered.

Kamothe is a CIDCO residential node between Kharghar and Kalamboli, south of the Sion–Panvel highway, opposite Kharghar. It is made almost entirely of housing: sectors of mid-rise society buildings, with shops on the ground floor along the main roads, schools, small parks and the village that gave the node its name. Mansarovar and Khandeshwar stations on the harbour line serve it. Much of the land sits low, sloping towards creek and marsh in the west, and rain drains slowly in heavy spells. The node filled up fast, and its oldest buildings now need looking after.