Mumbai: The state government aims to construct 19 lakh affordable homes by 2022, but the lottery of the state housing authority, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), this year would see the lowest number of homes in its history.
The 2017 lottery has merely 604 homes to sell via lottery this year as compared to 972 homes in 2016, which is dip of almost of 40 per cent. The tentative date for the lottery is May 31. However, nothing has been finalised yet.
Additionally, while the lottery of homes is conducted so as to make cheaper homes available to economical weaker sections (EWS), none of the 604 homes identified by the Mhada are for this section. Out of these homes, around half are for the lower-income group (LIG) while the remaining are for the middle-income group (MIG). There are possibilities of the lottery not having any homes for the higher-income group (HIG).
A Mhada official, not wishing to be named, said, “We identified 604 units for the lottery of the Mumbai board in 2017. Almost all the homes identified are not in the new projects but are from vacant flats of Mhada in its old buildings. The areas where homes are identified include Sion, Goregaon, Charkop, Powai and Vikhroli.”
The official added, “The number might may go up if the homes in the under-construction stage are added in the lottery this year like in 2016. The final number for now is 604 units.”
In 2016, Mhada had to delay its yearly lottery for the city to August instead of May due to the state housing authority being in dilemma over the number of units available for sale. However, the Mhada claims in the near future around 4,500 homes would be made available for the yearly lottery in Goregaon.
Meanwhile. Bharat Bastewad, secretary, Mhada, said, “Due to land scarcity there is trouble in coming out with more homes in the city every year, but our aim has always been to make maximum homes available for sale via the lottery.”
