NEWS

Mumbai: Mhada to sell EWS houses for Rs 30 lakh

October 01, 2018

The Maharashtra housing and area development board (Mhada) has announced its next lottery for 1,194 flats around Diwali November 7.

However, the affordability of the housing board flats has come into question once again. Most of the apartments are built for the below poverty line (BPL/ EWS) and low income group (LIG) categories but come at a prohibitive cost. BPL households earn a cumulative family income less than Rs 15,000 per annum. The cost of Mhada's BPL apartments is in the range of Rs 28-31 lakh, putting a question mark on affordability.

Nearly 280 BPL flats in Antop Hill cost Rs 31 lakh each, 83 in Pratiksha Nagar are priced Rs 29 lakh, 114 apartments in Mankhurd cost Rs 27.6 lakh and 34 in Goregaon are priced Rs 31 lakh. There are nearly 270 LIG flats in Mulund, each costing Rs 30 lakh. The size of flats is yet to be announced. The MIG category has 170 apartments in Mahavir Nagar, each priced Rs 58.66 lakh.

The newly appointed Chairman of Mhada, Shiv Sena MLA Uday Sawant said, "The rates may sound expensive but we are trying to figure a way to allot cheaper houses to government servants under the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana (PMAY) scheme. We do get criticised because people say the cost of our flats is on par with that of private projects. But I disagree, it is marginally lower. Still, I do feel that our rates should be lesser. We will try to work out how to build cheaper houses in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Amravati."

The cost of several middle- and high-income group apartments is still being determined. Apart from 1,194 flats, 108 commercial establishments will be up for bid as well. It is unclear why the state is selling shop spaces.

For years, low income and middle class Mumbaikars have been questioning why the state housing board's rates are rising at par with the open market. In fact the costliest flats in the previous lottery were priced Rs 2 crore, prompting buyers to ask why they should not choose private builders instead. They say private companies offer superior construction quality, and more -- and finer -- amenities.

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Source:magicbricks.com