Out of 521 MHADA-approved projects, only 5 redeveloped in last five years

The Maharashtra government has directed officials to expedite the evacuation process of residents of dilapidated buildings

In a shocking revelation, only five redevelopment projects, out of 521 projects that were issued No Objection Certificates (NOC) by Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) in the last five years, have been completed so far. MHADA officials will be issuing notices to projects that have been delayed for more than three years after reviewing each project.

Officials said that the reviews will be conducted on a ward level where the evacuation of residents will be on priority basis for structures that are marked as extremely dangerous. They claimed a lot of factors had led to the delay in the completion of the projects.

“Most of the times, owners and legal heirs of the property have disputes that go on for years which leads to the delay in the project. Also, viability of the project, financial capability of the developer, residents’ opposition to transit camps and disputes on the plot play a major role in delaying the project,” they claimed.

In addition to this, officials are also directed to cancel NOCs given to developers who have delayed the project considering all aspects. A senior official said, “Cancelling NOC’s is not a solution to help people from shifting to transit camps. They are stuck there because they have some issues which should be addressed immediately.”

Officials stated that the most common reason given by residents of dilapidated buildings for not shifting to transit camps is their location. A MHADA official said, “Most of the dilapidated buildings are in the island city. Residents refuse to shift to suburbs as it’s difficult for them to travel to their offices. Location is the most common reason residents give when asked to shift to the transit camps. With transit camps being constructed within the island city, it is expected that most of the residents will agree to shift in transit camps.”

The state government has directed officials to expedite the evacuation process of residents of dilapidated buildings. The move comes after the crash of the 117-year-old five-storeyed Hussaini building in Mumbai's Bhendi Bazaar, which killed 33 people. The building was part of the cluster redevelopment project worth Rs 4000 crore. The project, belonged to the Saifee Burhani Trust, in which nearly 256 structures are supposed to be redeveloped under Cluster Redevelopment Scheme.