Future lotteries of Mumbai Board will have more affordable homes to offer: MHADA vice-president

  • | Monday | 12th November, 2018

After the project completion, MHADA will have 5,000 to 8,000 homes that we can offer through a lottery in the Mumbai board. So, future lotteries of the Mumbai Board will have more affordable homes. The main reason for fewer homes in the Mumbai lottery is that MHADA doesn’t have any fresh land where new housing stock can be created. The applicant can apply for MHADA lottery through our website. The MHADA lottery is based on a digital platform from registration work till application.

MHADA vice-president and CEO Milind Mhaiskar. MHADA vice-president and CEO Milind Mhaiskar. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is currently not only overseeing a lottery for over 1,300 homes in Mumbai, but it will also take the centre stage as work on the redevelopment of BDD Chawl begins. The agency’s vice-president and CEO Milind Mhaiskar tells The Indian Express what challenges lie ahead. MHADA is supposed to provide people with affordable homes. Is a flat worth Rs 5.8 crore in Mumbai affordable? As housing authority for the state, MHADA has provided cheaper homes to all sections of the society. Only a few flats located in south Mumbai have a price of Rs 5.8 crore. But if you compare the Ready Reckoner rate for these, you will find the price is cheaper by 20 per cent to 30 per cent. In this current lottery, we have included more homes for Lower Income Groups (LIG) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). For these groups, we have cut prices to 70 per cent below the Ready Reckoner rate. Over 1,000 flats in this lottery are for needy people. Why is the total number of homes decreasing in every Mumbai Board lottery? The main reason for fewer homes in the Mumbai lottery is that MHADA doesn’t have any fresh land where new housing stock can be created. For new homes, we have to depend upon redevelopment work. But we expect that from the BDD Chawl redevelopment work as well as from the redevelopment projects of some cessed buildings in a few years, we can have more numbers of housing stock in Mumbai. By 2020 more than 6,000 homes will be ready in the Goregaon area. So, future lotteries of the Mumbai Board will have more affordable homes. Can you describe the digital platform for this lottery? The MHADA lottery is based on a digital platform from registration work till application. The applicant can apply for MHADA lottery through our website. The results of the lottery will also be shown live in more than 200 countries. The Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) sum can be paid through a DD, or online through instant transfers. Even if applicants fail to win a home in the lottery, the EMD amount is refunded to the account directly within 30 days. What steps have been taken to cut the construction cost of homes? In this lottery also we tried to recalculate the prices of LIG and EWS homes. The lowest price in the EWS category is Rs 14 lakh, while the lowest price among LIG flats is Rs 20 lakh. These flats are 70 per cent cheaper than the Ready Reckoner rates. To keep construction cost in check we just worked on a policy in which a contractor cannot change anything for a period of three years. Contractors also cannot raise a single rupee for the project. A big reason for the increase in construction cost is delays in the project, so we are just taking a step to complete all MHADA projects on time. What is the status of PMAY homes? We are country leaders in getting sanctions for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) homes. Until now, more than 6.5 lakh homes have been sanctioned in Maharashtra. We also plan to fulfil the needs of ‘housing for all’ in other parts of Maharashtra, for which we are working in every possible way. This includes the PMAY PPP model, as well as a move to purchase ready flats from private developers. In Vasai, for example, we got some projects and builders are ready to sell to MHADA. Already, we held a lottery for more than 3,900 homes in the Konkan Board. What is the impact of the agency being designated as a planning authority? After getting powers of Special Planning Authority for MHADA layouts, approval for sanctioning redevelopment projects got a boost. While we had set up a cell for approving redevelopment schemes, more than 49 proposals for redevelopment got NOCs from MHADA in the last six months. We received over 107 proposals for redevelopment schemes. Of these, 15 proposals were sent back for correction and 15 are under scrutiny. MHADA has 56 colonies and 114 layouts in Mumbai and in MMR, for which MHADA is now the special planning authority. For approving a single redevelopment scheme, almost a month was spent earlier, but now we approve a redevelopment scheme in a week’s time. Recently, one sector of the Dharavi Redevelopment Project has been taken away from MHADA. What about the money you have already spent? The government had planned to redevelop Dharavi in a single sector. We had Sector 5 of Dharavi and we have rehabilitated 350 families in the same sector. The question about MHADA’s expenses on the project is not an issue. We have to follow government policy, the question of compensation does not arise. What is the current status of BDD chawl redevelopment? The BDD Chawl Redevelopment work is a huge project. We have already awarded contracts to the best developers at an international level. The work on the the NM Joshi Marg Chawl will begin in a month. Shapoorji Pallonji has been selected to construct 14 buildings that will rehabilitate 2,560 families. Similarly, the Worli redevelopment project will be carried out by Tata Housing and a total of 87 buildings will be constructed to accommodate 9,680 tenants. Some issues are being sorted out with tenants at the Naigaum chawl. We failed to complete the eligibility survey there, but we have asked the competent authority to chip in so that we can complete a survey for Phase-1 in the Naigaun BDD Chawl. After the project completion, MHADA will have 5,000 to 8,000 homes that we can offer through a lottery in the Mumbai board. For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App

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