India, Oct. 20 -- For thousands of former textile mill workers and their families in the city, the wait for a home of their own has stretched on for decades. Hoping to accelerate the long-delayed housing scheme, the Maharashtra government on Monday eased development norms, raising the permissible floor space index (FSI) in residential zones from 2.5 to 3 and allowing construction in green and no-development zones (NDZ) with an FSI of 1.

The government has also reduced the minimum land requirement for private developers undertaking mill workers' housing from 30 acres to just one acre. The changes are aimed at encouraging greater participation by developers and expanding the pool of land available for the scheme in Mumbai and the Mumbai Me...