Mumbai Makeover: MHADA Authorised To Break Deadlock And Take Over Stalled Revamp Of City's Dilapidated Cessed Structures

The state government of Maharashtra has authorised the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to take on the redevelopment of dilapidated cessed buildings in Mumbai.

This decision comes into effect if the society and owner fail to appoint a developer within six months, as a step to resolve the deadlocks in several redevelopment projects in the city.

In addition, the state government has authorised the Repair and Reconstruction Board to take over redevelopment projects of cessed buildings that have experienced significant delays — exceeding two to three years after obtaining construction permission, according to Hindustan Times report.

Mumbai city is home to approximately 13,000 cessed buildings.

These buildings are maintained and repaired by the Mumbai Building Repair and Reconstruction Board of MHADA, with tenants paying a cess to the housing authority.

Many of these cessed buildings are several decades old and in a state of disrepair.

However, the process of redeveloping them is often hindered by disputes between tenants or disagreements between owners and tenants regarding the appointment of a developer.

Furthermore, MHADA has sent notices to 67 projects that were granted permission for redevelopment over the past decade but have faced delays for various reasons.

According to the order, if a cessed building is declared dangerous by MHADA or the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the MHADA Repair and Reconstruction Board will ensure that the owner appoints a developer within six months, with the consent of 51 per cent of residents.

If the owner fails to do so, MHADA will then request the society to appoint a developer within the same timeframe.

If the society also fails to appoint a developer, MHADA will take over the redevelopment process, without requiring the consent of 51 per cent of tenants.

The notice emphasises that the executive officers of MHADA have been granted the authority to take necessary action in order to prevent any loss of property or life.

Furthermore, if tenants have not received their due rent from the builder for a period of more than two years during the redevelopment process, the board can intervene.

The state government has also provided detailed guidelines and conditions for the implementation of this scheme.