Mumbai: The Mumbai Board of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has decided to shift to a ‘first come, first served’ model for the sale of 49 shops that remained unsold despite repeated e-auctions, officials said.
The move comes after the board recently conducted an e-auction for 84 shops across the city, but managed to sell only 35 units. The remaining 49 shops failed to attract bidders, adding to the board’s concerns over mounting maintenance costs and blocked revenue.
MHADA had been distributing shops built within its housing projects through the e-auction system for the past two to three years. However, the response has remained consistently low. According to a report from Loksatta, in 2025, the Mumbai Board had auctioned 149 shops, of which only 70 were sold, leaving 79 units vacant. A similar trend was observed in earlier rounds as well.
With unsold inventory piling up, the board initiated a fresh e-auction process in November 2025 for 84 shops. This included the 79 units that remained unsold in the September 2025 auction and five newly available shops. The process involved registration, sale of applications and bidding. Due to limited response, the board extended the registration and application period by 15 days.
Despite the extension, the auction held on February 4, 2026, saw only 35 shops being sold, while 49 remained vacant.
Several units in locations such as Powai, Malvani and Bimbisar Nagar in Goregaon failed to find buyers. In Bimbisar Nagar, the board had constructed a commercial complex at a cost of several crores, comprising 17 shops. However, not a single unit in the complex has been sold across the last two to three auction rounds.
The board had already reduced base prices and modified usage conditions in an attempt to attract bidders, but the shops still failed to sell, making it difficult to recover the project cost.
In view of the repeated poor response, Mumbai Board Chief Officer Milind Borikar said the unsold shops would now be offered under a ‘first come, first served’ scheme. A final decision on the implementation is expected soon.
Once the scheme is rolled out, applicants will be able to purchase the shops directly without participating in an auction. It remains to be seen whether the new approach will help the board clear its unsold inventory.
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