city’s tallest residential buildingcity’s tallest residential building Keshavrao Khade Marg near the Mahalaxmi Race Course

In what seems like a sign of recovery in the real estate industry, a consortium of 
 three leading developers has proposed what may be the

city's tallest residential building—486 metres high and having about 125 floors—on 
Keshavrao Khade Marg near the Mahalaxmi Race Course.

Still at an initial stage, the project's layout plan was submitted last week to 
 the state-appointed high-rise committee by Joyus Housing Ltd, a consortium floated by
 three developers, Shapoorji Pallonji, Ackruti and DLF Group.

While the tower will have parking space on six floors, another five floors are 
 proposed to be kept vacant for a refuge area to be used during an emergency;
 the remaining 114 floors will house flats and suites.

The developers have already started planning the process of shifting around 4,000 
 people, many living in hutments and others in the BMC staff quarters on part of the 
plot, to transit accommodation.

"As a project, we don't intend to make it the tallest in the city. 
 As it is, this is at a very early stage and there are still hundreds of clearances 
to be taken. It will be a lengthy procedure until a final height limit is arrived at 
and it could take at least two years,'' said Hemant Shah of Ackruti.
 
Officials from the high-rise committee confirmed the project as the tallest building 
proposal they have received since the committee was formed six years ago. 
The second tallest proposed structure the committee is studying is Skylark Heights at
  Worli. The project proposes two separate towers, commercial at a height of 159.9 m and 
a residential one 375.6 m in height, and will be roughly 74 floors over and above three floors for the basement and another 11 for parking.
 
As a symbol of Mumbai's financial might, the MMRDA too recently announced 
an over-100-storey "iconic tower'' at Wadala. The height of the tower (526 m) is 
likely to make it the tallest as and when it comes up. MMRDA officials, however, 
 confirmed that due to red tape, the height is likely to be scaled down to 80 floors. 
But no official proposal has been floated as yet by the agency.

The high-rise committee was set up by the state government due to the surge in 
 projects a few years ago and concerns about the effect it could have on the environment 
and infrastructure. It studies and clears every building being erected over 70 metres.

But barely a handful of the over 160 high-rise projects cleared by a state-appointed 
 committee over the past five-and-a-half years have included facilities like solar power,
 solar heating, windmills, rainwater harvesting or vermicomposting. 
The overall development of the surrounding infrastructure too has taken a backseat.
 
But in the case of the project at Mahalaxmi, the developers claim they plan to upgrade 
the surrounding infrastructure, including underground utilities, for a mile under the 
plot.