SRA: Everything You Need to Know

To provide quality housing to the urban poor residing in the slum areas of Mumbai, the Maharashtra state government launched a comprehensive slum rehabilitation scheme and created the Slum Rehabilitation Authority, the full form of SRA, in December 1995.

The idea was to use land as a resource and provide SRA Mumbai flats to the slum dwellers and to sell the extra tenements in the open market. The scheme is still ongoing where, through public-private partnership, new rehabilitation projects are being developed under which the saleable FSI (or FAR) is used to recover the cost and create profit for the developer.

What are SRA flats?

The Slum Rehabilitation Authority, SRA full form provides tenements, known as SRA flats, to the slum dwellers. There are two types of SRA Mumbai flats – one which a slum dweller gets allotted after surrendering his existing home and the tenements which are sold in the open market by builders.

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How to buy SRA flats in Mumbai

There are certain rules and regulations issued by the SRA Mumbai when it comes to buying or selling SRA Mumbai flats:

• There is a lock-in period on the beneficiary, preventing him from selling the allotted SRA Mumbai flat for 10 years. As per new rules for SRA in Mumbai 2021, according to FPJ, the Maharashtra Cabinet sub-committee, has approved a proposal to reduce time of selling SRA Mumbai flats from 10 years to 3 years. The SRA Mumbai flats can be sold after 3 years of demolition of hutment.
• If the SRA building is sold after 10 years, the state government is entitled to get a share in the sale value. This component is called transaction fee, which is deemed necessary at the time of property registration. This is equivalent to the stamp duty or Rs 1 lakh, whichever is more.
• The SRA Mumbai flat can be bought only by a domicile certificate holder. Also, the family should not own any other unit within Mumbai’s suburban areas.
• The original seller cannot buy any SRA Mumbai flat.
• The buyer of unit in SRA building should belong to the economically weaker section (EWS), lower-income group (LIG) or the middle-income group (MIG).
• The sale deed of unit in SRA building will be created in the name of both, the husband and wife. No partnership firms or organisations are allowed to purchase SRA flats.

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How to search SRA schemes online

If you wish to search or verify any information regarding SRA scheme in Mumbai, you can do so by following this procedure:

* Visit the SRA Public Portal (click here).

* Search the SRA website for schemes on the following parameters: scheme name, ward name, address, CTS number, village name, developer name or architect name.

* Once you see the desired scheme, click on the ‘Action’ column to view agreement, IOA, layout, LOI, OC and registrar details.

Things to know before buying an SRA Mumbai flat

• Check the title deed of the SRA Mumbai property and ensure that you are buying from the original seller of the property. The deed should be in the name of the seller only.
• Consult a property lawyer to verify the SRA Mumbai property documents and title deed.
• Check if the owner has a release certificate from the bank. This is to ensure that the loan is paid off by the seller.
• The transfer of property ownership will only take place through a duly stamped sale deed. Remember, property buying and selling through power of attorney is illegal and does not hold any value in the court.

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SRA: About the authority

The SRA is headed by the chief executive officer. The chief minister of Maharashtra functions as the chairperson of the organisation. Other than this, there are nine members of the Authority, which includes the state housing minister, urban development minister, commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and the principal secretary of the urban development and housing department.

With a vision to make Mumbai slum-free by 2022, the government has also launched a GIS portal, where citizens and other relevant stakeholders can view the data collected by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. These maps contain layers of information, such as administration ward, boundaries and scheme information as per various parameters such as HUT ID, village, taluka, ward, cluster and landmark.

(Additional Inputs: Surbhi Gupta)

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