Maharashtra to build 30,000 affordable housing units over two years

The Maharashtra government will create stock of 30,000 housing units in the next two years, minister Jitendra Awhad has said

Maharashtra minister Jitendra Awhad, on March 3, 2020, said that the government will create a stock of 30,000 units under an affordable housing scheme. The scheme will begin on May 1, 2020 and will be completed in two years, he said in the state assembly. Lands totalling 25,000 acres, acquired by SEZ developers but lying unused, will be taken back by the government after paying these firms and will be used to construct affordable houses, he said. The government is contemplating bringing a bill on this issue, he added. “If this is done, five lakh affordable houses can be constructed in five years,” he said.

Awhad told the house that 10% each of houses built by Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) will be reserved for police personnel and Class IV government staff.

Speaking on the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), he said submission of proposal to final approval will be done in a span of 90 days through a single window system. Speaking during the debate, BJP’s Parag Alvani said 600 out of 1,600 SRA projects were facing problems and demanded the setting up of complaint resolution committees at the divisional level.

 


Maharashtra to form committee, to look into delayed SRA projects

With several SRA projects in Mumbai facing delays, the Maharashtra government has said that it is planning to set up a committee, to conduct an inquiry into the reasons for the delays

December 23, 2019: Maharashtra cabinet minister Jayant Patil, on December 20, 2019, said that a committee would be formed, to enquire into incomplete Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects. Patil made the statement in the Maharashtra legislative council. Kiran Pavaskar had raised a calling attention motion on the issue, saying that several SRA projects in Mumbai were delayed, in some cases due to pending approvals from the municipal corporation and slum redevelopment officers.

When projects are delayed, builders do not pay rent to slum dwellers (which slum dwellers are entitled to get, until redevelopment is complete and they get a house), he said. Patil said a committee of legislators and expert architects will be formed, to conduct inquiry into delayed projects and its recommendations would be binding on the chief executive officer of SRA.

 


Maharashtra mulls merging MHADA and SRA, to expedite affordable housing projects

The Maharashtra government is mulling a merger of state agencies such as the MHADA and SRA, in a bid to speed up the construction of affordable housing in Mumbai

December 6, 2019: Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, on December 5, 2019, hinted that the state government may merge agencies such as the MHADA and SRA into a single entity, to expedite low-cost housing projects in Mumbai. Thackeray spoke about the proposal at a marathon review meeting with officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and senior state government officials, a government spokesperson said.

The government may consider merging several agencies including the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and some sections of the Urban Development Department, to expedite affordable housing projects in the city, Thackeray said.

 


SRA, MHADA redevelopment to be brought under MahaRERA

The redevelopment of existing slums and MHADA buildings will soon be brought under the regulations of the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority, the state’s housing development minister Prakash Mehta has said

March 20, 2018: Maharashtra’s housing development minister Prakash Mehta, on March 19, 2018, said that redevelopment projects under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), will soon be brought under the ambit of the state’s real estate regulatory authority, once an executive order, with necessary changes to the rules, is passed by the government. He was replying in the legislative assembly to a calling attention motion by BJP MLA from Dharavi, R Tamil Selvan.

Dharavi is dominated by slum clusters and has several buildings that have been constructed by the SRA. As per the rules, slums are redeveloped by builders under SRA guidelines and comprise a saleable portion for fresh buyers, apart from homes meant for rehabilitating the slum dwellers.

“This decision will impact the lives of at least 50-55 per cent of the population of Mumbai. Almost 41 per cent people live in slums, as per the 2011 census. There are also 104 major colonies of the MHADA in the city,” a senior housing department official said.

See also: CID to probe irregularities at SRA under ex-CEO Patil: Maharashtra government

“Earlier, RERA rules were not applicable to the construction of buildings, which are meant for rehabilitation. However, if the houses meant for rehabilitation and those for fresh sales are in the same building, then, RERA regulations would apply. Now, RERA rules will apply to SRA buildings meant for rehabilitation,” he explained.

The official said that as per the 2011 census, the population of Mumbai was 1,24,42,373 of which 52,06,470 lived in 11,35,514 slum tenements. The slum segment, he said, comprised 41.84 per cent of the city. “There are 104 colonies of MHADA in Mumbai, of which 56 are large ones with several buildings. Both these segments will now come under the RERA. It will streamline the development of buildings and protect the rights of the flat owners,” the official said.

Earlier, speaking in the house, MLA Selvan said that builders who undertook work under SRA, were found to be selling their projects to other builders. “The new builder either develops it or, after some time, sells it to another builder. This benefits the builder but the rights of flat owners are violated,” Selvan said.

Mehta replied, “It is true that builders start a project and disappear after some time. Once RERA is applicable to rehabilitation projects of SRA and MHADA, builders will have to get bank guarantees and other assurances. They cannot exit the project midway.”

Minister of state for housing Ravindra Waikar, while responding to a query by Mumbadevi MLA Amin Patel, said that the government would bring in more transparency into the system. “We will also hold a joint meeting of 126 SRAs in the Dharavi area, along with other MLAs from Mumbai, to find an amicable solution,” Waikar said. He assured the house that an office of the RERA would be set up in neighbouring Thane, to address issues faced by residents there.

 

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