India, April 15 -- The state urban development department has granted more TDR (transfer of development rights) for the No Development Zones (NDZs) and Special Development Zones (SDZs) to be acquired for the coastal road. The BMC, which needs more than 40 hectares of private land for the Versova-to-Bhayander stretch, feels that after this sop, it will be easier to acquire private land that comes in the way of the project.

In India, transferable development rights are essentially building permits detached from land ownership. Owners of land on which construction is restricted (farmland, heritage sites) can sell these unused permissions to developers in designated development zones. Developers gain the right to build taller buildings, boos...