The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has reportedly sent a proposal to the state government regarding reducing the price of houses constructed under the Mega Housing Scheme in different nodes including those in the Ulwe node. There were protests against the exorbitant price of houses constructed for the lower income group (LIG) and economically weaker section (EWS) in different nodes.
Earlier, former MLA Bala Nandgaonkar held a meeting with the then vice chairman and managing director of CIDCO Dr Sanjay Mukherjee, regarding the price of CIDCO-constructed houses in the Ulwe node.
Demands for prices to be reduced for LIG
Nandgaonkar had demanded that prices should be reduced so that people with lower income could afford to buy them. A large number of home buyers were also present outside the CIDCO Bhawan on the occasion.
According to officials from CIDCO a proposal has been sent to the state urban development department to take a final decision. However, it is not clear how much reduction has been proposed.
CIDCO launched housing scheme of 7,849 houses last Diwali
Last year in Diwali, CIDCO launched a housing scheme of 7,849 houses for the economically weaker section (EWS) in the newly developed node Ulwe. These houses have been constructed under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana and are based on Transit Oriented Development. As per the information booklet, the price of 322 sq feet of houses was ₹35 lakh. However, the home buyer's salary should not be above ₹25,000 or ₹3 lakh annually. A group of residents backed by a political party raised the question of how a person earning ₹3 lakh annually can afford a ₹35 lakh house. It was also alleged that the house constructed is lower in carpet area than was mentioned in the information booklet. It alleged that the area of the house under LIG is 290 sq feet while the booklet said 322 sq feet.
In the second week of April, the party had also taken out a protest march in Seawoods against CIDCO calling it Bhikh Maga (begging) and demanded to bring down the price of its houses.
