State Housing Minister Prakash Mehta on Monday said that the existing redevelopment of slums under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and MHADA buildings will be brought under the jurisdiction of the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA).
Mr. Mehta was replying to a calling-attention motion raised by Sion-Koliwada MLA Captain R. Tamil Selvan. The (Bharatiya Janata Party) BJP MLA alleged that SRA projects in Sion-Koliwada are pending for the last 15 to 20 years. “The builders are constructing only saleable components, and not the rehabilitation components. There has to be strict action against those builders,” said Mr. Selvan.
At present, slums are redeveloped under the SRA guidelines, as per which one section is developed as the saleable portion and another to rehabilitate slum dwellers. The saleable area can be sold to outsiders.
A number of MLAs from Mumbai, who participated in the discussion, agreed that builders constructing only the saleable portion and leaving out slum dwellers was a common occurrence in the city.
BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar demanded that such malpractices be prevented.
Mr. Mehta said, “All projects under SRA and redevelopment of MHADA buildings should be registered with RERA.”
Wide impact
The decision is likely to affect 50-55% of the city’s population. As per the 2011 census, around 41% of Mumbai’s population lives in slums. There are 104 MHADA colonies, of which 56 are labelled as large colonies.
Saleable construction were always under the purview of RERA. Monday’s decision will effectively mean that construction of the rehabilitation portion will also come under RERA. The change will be applicable once the government releases notifications to this effect.
Builders’ accountability
Mr. Selvan said that after winning the contract for the SRA project, the builder sells it to another developer, and after some time, the other builder either develops it or sells it to a third. “This benefits builders, but not common people,” he said.
Mr. Mehta said, “Once RERA is applicable to SRA and MHADA rehabilitation projects, builders will have to give a bank guarantee and other assurances, and will not be allowed to exit the project midway.”
Ravindra Waikar, Minister of State for Housing, while responding to Congress MLA Amin Patel’s query on transparency, said, “We will hold a joint meeting of all 126 SRA in Sion-Koliwada along with other MLAs from Mumbai to find an amicable solution.” He said a RERA office will also be set up in Thane.
