Mumbai: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has approved Rs 2,221 crore of the overall Rs 8,259 crore budget of the Mumbai Board of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) for 2019-20. The Mumbai Board budget has a Rs 304 crore deficit.
The budget has allocated Rs 100 crore for repairs, including those of stormwater drains of the MHADA colonies in the western region, while Rs 125 crore have been allotted for colonies in the eastern region. Furthermore, Rs 250 crore have been reserved for other housing boards like Nashik, Aurangabad, Pune, Amravati and others, said Madhu Chavan, former legislator and chairman of Mumbai board of MHADA.
According to the MHADA officials, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in the Mumbai and suburban regions, about 2,000 affordable houses will be constructed. Moreover, in Motilal Nagar (Goregaon), 18,000 homes will be constructed for lower, middle and higher-income groups people and 3,700 existing tenants will be rehabilitated. In addition, Rs 250 crore have been proposed for the development of the Bombay Development Department (BDD) Chawls.
Madhu Chavan said the deficit is due to the flats not sold for want of occupancy certificate and pending service charges, since in 2010 the government had stayed the collection of service charges, but had later vacated the stay. But now, as MHADA has called for an online lottery for 217 houses and the e-auction of 276 commercial units, the Mumbai Board is expected to earn revenue of Rs 100 crore out of the process.
