In order to expedite the process of redevelopment of housing societies belonging to Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), in Mumbai, the authority has come up with a circular which states that any redevelopment proposal will have to be cleared within 90 days.
“This has been done to reduce the delay in clearing the proposals and also to make MHADA more efficient. Now there will be a strict deadline at every stage of clearance and if the officer is not able to adhere to the deadline, explanation will be asked from him/her,” says Madhu Chavan, MHADA’s Mumbai board chairman.
Why is this circular important?
MHADA has 56 colonies and 114 layouts all over Mumbai. Some of the colonies are in dilapidated condition and require redevelopment. Many times due to administrative delays the projects get delayed for months. The new circular aims to address this major concern.
The move has been welcomed by the real estate industry as well.
“The offer letter by the MHADA is a very crucial document without it the builder cannot start any redevelopment work. Therefore, this is a welcome move and it will definitely help people who want to go for self-redevelopment as now everything will be done in a time bound manner, said Nayan Shah, President, CREDAI-MCHI.
Now that the 90 days’ timeline has been prescribed, it will lead to at least 20-25 percent savings in the interest cost, he said.
“This is a very good approach. Earlier it used to take 9-12 months to get the offer letter from MHADA. This move will also help in ease of doing business if it is followed properly,” Vilas Nagalkar, architect and member, Practising Engineers, Architects and Town Planners Associations (PEATA).
How will this circular help?
According to the new circular, every proposal will go through nine stages of clearances and every stage will have a strict deadline. Once a society submits the proposal, within three days it has to reach the next level for clearance.
In this new circular, even senior level officers like the chief officer, chief architect and even vice president have to adhere to the strict timeline.
MHADA claims that although 90 days is the maximum time period if the timelines are strictly adhered to, proposals can be cleared even within 70 days.
Meanwhile, Chavan has also written a letter to the chief minister asking him to bring rehabilitation projects under Maha RERA.
