Mumbai, May 10: The 7,000 lottery houses construction work at Pahadi Goregoan initiated by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is at snail's speed amid Covid-19 induced lockdown.
According to an official from MHADA, who did not wish to be named, said: "The number of workers on site has drastically reduced. However, with available manpower and raw material, the construction work is still going on. Of 23 storeyed building proposed for the Economically weaker section (EWS) and Lower Income Group (LIG) scheme, 15 storeyed building construction has been attained so far. We aim to complete the construction work of these two schemes by December 2022. Similarly, the construction work of 35 storeyed buildings reserved for the LIG, Middle and Higher Income Group (MIG&HIG) will take an additional one year's time."
The said housing project is divided on two plots --A and B. On Plot A-- buildings are being constructed for EWS and LIG scheme. On Plot B, houses for LIG, MIG, and HIG are being constructed. In this housing scheme, nearly 1,947 tenements are reserved for the EWS people only. The entire project is being completed in a phase-wise manner and the distribution of houses will be done through a lottery draw.Interestingly, on these two plots, the sample flats are ready.
On Plot A, a sample flat of 315 sq.mt is ready which will be offered in the EWS scheme. On Plot B, a sample flat of 450 sq.mt to be offered to LIG scheme homebuyers is also ready.
The Mumbai Board of MHADA receives lakhs of applications from homebuyers whenever it draws any housing lottery.
However, in the past two years, it failed to call any big housing lottery draw despite having a huge demand. In April 2019, it could offer only 217 houses in Mumbai, which it received as surplus housing stock from developers who undertook redevelopment projects.
Similarly, in 2018, it held the lottery draw for only 1,395 houses, and in 2017, 819 houses were kept for selling. Therefore, the MHADA's Pahadi Goregoan housing project will be a big hope for those homebuyers, who have been especially waiting for affordable houses in Mumbai through a lottery draw.
