Mumbai: The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has launched an awareness campaign to fast-track the redevelopment of 13,091 cess buildings under the purview of MHADA’s Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board, many of which have been declared dangerous and unfit for habitation.
The initiative comes as the state government grapples with the critical challenge of ensuring the safety of thousands of residents living in these aging and dilapidated structures. With the monsoon season approaching, MHADA has intensified structural audits to avert potential building collapses and safeguard lives.
MHADA Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Sanjeev Jaiswal (IAS) said that structural inspection reports have already been received for 540 out of 555 buildings surveyed so far. “Immediate repair and redevelopment of extremely dangerous buildings will help prevent tragic incidents of collapse and save lives and property,” he stressed. Jaiswal added that MHADA aims to complete structural inspections of all 13,091 buildings within a year by speeding up the process.
To expedite redevelopment, the government has amended the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Act, 1976, introducing a new Section 79A. The amendment lays down clear provisions for the time-bound redevelopment of old and dilapidated cess buildings:
*Landowners are given six months to submit a redevelopment proposal to MHADA with the irrevocable consent of at least 51% of tenants/residents.
*If the owner fails, the tenants’ or residents’ proposed cooperative housing society is given another six months to submit the proposal with 51% consent.
*If no proposal is submitted, even then, MHADA can acquire the building and land and undertake redevelopment itself.
MHADA has started issuing official notices to housing societies, urging owners, cooperative societies, tenants, and residents to take the initiative and avail redevelopment incentives under Development Control Regulations 33(7) and 33(9). Stakeholders have also been advised to contact the concerned Executive Engineers for more information.